


Destined for Darkness (A Draco Malfoy Fic)

by PinkChaos



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fanfiction, Harry Potter - Freeform, My First Fanfic, Slow Burn, Slytherin, Slytherin Harry Potter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 03:16:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 36,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28681704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkChaos/pseuds/PinkChaos
Summary: Eleanor Blaylock is a transfer student from Ilvermorny who will be starting her 6th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An old family myth causing concerns for her safety led Eleanor's parents to the decision to transfer schools, despite her opposition. Eleanor finds a new home and friends at Hogwarts, including a well-known blonde. But as in nature, if you run away from something, it will chase you.DISCLAIMER: All original Harry Potter character credit goes to J.K. Rowling-Some events/characters have been altered to fit the story. In this story, Draco did not get marked and become a Death Eater before their 6th year. The main character is an OC, but the reader can easily insert themselves.🚨WARNINGS🚨-Strong language-Alcohol & drugs-Abandonment triggers-Loss-Sexual content-Others will be added as needed as the story progresses
Relationships: Draco Malfoy & Original Female Character(s), Draco Malfoy & Reader, Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s), Draco Malfoy/Reader, Pansy Parkinson & Theodore Nott, Theodore Nott/Pansy Parkinson, Tracey Davis & Daphne Greengrass, Tracey Davis/Daphne Greengrass
Comments: 6
Kudos: 22





	1. The Leaky Cauldron, That's in London

I've always dreamt of visiting London. Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Piccadilly Circus, Tower of London. I didn't care if I was going to be the most cliche American tourist, I wanted to see it all. But I never would've imagined that on my first trip to one of the fashion capitals of the world that I would be shopping...for school supplies.

After months of arguing with them and trying to get my point across that it was literally the worst idea imaginable, Mom and Dad still believed it was the safest option and made the final decision that I would transfer from Ilvermorny. Seeing as Ilvermorny is the only wizarding school in North America, that means I had to move across continents. And while I always wanted to study abroad, the current circumstances diminish any excitement I should be experiencing.

Due to safety reasons, and their work, my parents weren't able to travel with me to England. We said our goodbyes at the NoMaj airport (this barbaric mode of transportation was chosen over a Portkey to lessen the chances of me being tracked magically) and almost ten excruciating hours later I landed in London.

When I arrived, a gentleman from the British Ministry of Magic's Department of International Magical Cooperation picked me up from Heathrow. I use the term gentleman loosely because I could clearly tell that he felt that being my chauffeur was miles beneath him. _Ginger asshole._

He drove me in silence as I gawked through the car window at the beautiful sights of nighttime London. He dropped me at a bar of all places, called the Leaky Cauldron, which I soon thankfully found out was also an Inn. It was no Four Seasons, but it had its own sort of rustic charm.

My parents didn't like the idea of me being in London by myself for long, so I arrived only a couple of days before school was to start. The Department of International Magical Cooperation had assured them that I would be safe and looked after during my stay.

By the grace of Merlin, the age of 16 is considered much more independent in Great Britain than in the States, so no one felt the need to accompany me during my outings. They only requested that I didn't venture out into the Muggle streets (which is apparently their term for non-magical people).

A list of all the supplies I would need was waiting for me in my room at the Inn along with my luggage when I arrived. It was pretty extensive seeing as I would be entering my 6th year, so I decided to get a jump on it first thing the next morning.

After the somewhat creepy yet polite innkeeper, Tom, led me into the alley behind the Leaky Cauldron, he tapped a few bricks on the wall which caused it to open up revealing a cobblestone street lined with shops. He told me this was called Diagon Alley, and I would easily be able to check all the items off my list here.

And so here I am, alone, in a country I've never been in, shopping for school supplies to attend a school I know nothing about and will know a total of zero people upon my arrival. Fantastic. Or rather, as the Brits say, _brilliant._

_—————_

The Alley was somewhat busy, parents and children bustling around gathering last-minute school supplies just like I was. I quickly realized that most of my list must be the same as the students that would be attending school for their first year because as I entered Potage's Cauldron Shop I was met with an overwhelmingly excited buzz of about twenty 11-year-olds apparently also looking to purchase a 'standard size 2 pewter cauldron'.

My favorite shop by far was Flourish and Blotts. I could've stayed in there for hours perusing the shelves. For the time being and the sake of crowd control, the shop had organized its shelves by school year. All the textbooks I would need for sixth year were grouped together, allowing me the chance to find a few novels I could read to fill my downtime at school. The four I grabbed _might_ last me until Christmas.

I had seen my fair share of first-, second-, and possibly even a few third-years, but had been the only person in the sixth-year book section while I was there. By this point, I'm sure they knew the best times to come buy their supplies to avoid the younger students...and their panicked, borderline psychotic mothers who were trying to hold it together at the thought of sending their babies off to school and not seeing them for months.

Because of the way the books were arranged, I thought I might meet someone near my age so I would know at least one person by my first day, but alas, no such luck.

And it also seemed that I would not be getting a pet to keep me company either. The list stated that I could bring an owl, a cat, or a toad. I don't particularly like cats, I REALLY don't like birds of any sort, and what kind of pet is a toad? _What do they have against dogs?_

I scanned my list to see that I had purchased all but one thing, which I had purposefully saved for last: my uniform. Throughout the day as I had made my way up and down Diagon Alley, I had paid close attention to all the clothing shops. There was Madam Malkin's, which seemed to be the most popular place to buy robes, but my attention was drawn to the elegant window displays of Twilfitt and Tattings.

It seemed this was the closest I was going to get to shopping at a high fashion store in London, but once I entered I was not disappointed. It was all chic neutral colors, crystal and diamond decor, and notably less crowded than any other store I've been in today. Absolutely perfect.

A brunette sales associate approached me with a cocked eyebrow, but as she got closer I watched as her gaze flicked down to my Chanel bag and almost instantaneously a broad smile stretched across her face. I told her what I was looking for and she gladly led me over the robes and proceeded to explain in great detail that while they still conformed to the required dress code, their garments were made with the highest quality materials.

I tried on my size and came out of the dressing room to look at myself in the full-length mirror. Robes have a pretty universal style, but I was pleased with what I saw in the mirror. Most people enjoyed the blue and cranberry colors of the Ilvermorny robes, but I've always preferred myself in black. It just gives such a stark contrast to my blonde hair and bluish-grey eyes, highlighting two of my favorite features.

The saleswoman was a bit overdramatic about how " _beautiful the robes looked on me!_ ". _Cut the crap, it's an obvious sale, I'm_ required _to have them for school._ But, always the lady (in public at least), I accepted her compliments and asked her to go ahead and start packing them up while I browsed through the accessories. This would keep her busy so I could shop in peace, at least for a little bit.

Looking through their selection of gorgeous scarves and gloves, I knew it would be a smart purchase for the upcoming colder months. I settle on a black and white houndstooth wool scarf, and a pair of black fleece-lined leather gloves. I took them up to the counter, sat them in front of the brunette, and quickly walked away before she could say anything about my choices. _That'll keep her busy for a bit longer._

_Ohh the shoes. No, nope, I don't need any more shoes. Oooo this bag! No, I DEFINITELY don't need another bag. Hmm, but maybe I do need a new hat..._

Scanning over the options, a wide-brimmed, black suede beauty is calling my name, but my attention is quickly grabbed by an oversized white mess of ruffles, lace, and red feathers. It looks like the type of item all the NoMaj women wear at their horse races. It's ridiculous...and I _have_ to try it on.

I carefully take it off the stand, not wanting to ruin it and actually have to buy the thing, and place it delicately on my head. I step over to the mirror and try to hold in a fit of laughter.

I sense someone behind me, but continue to admire the atrocity on my head while waiting to hear the saleswoman gush about how " _absolutely perfect it looks!_ " and how " _there is no way I can leave here without it!_ ".

Instead, a male voice surprises me.

"I think you'd have to be a bloody lunatic to buy that thing."

Normally if a stranger talked to me that way, I'd have thrown back a disguised insult so well packaged that they wouldn't have realized what they had just been called until I was long gone.

But this stranger's delicious English accent had caused whatever part of my brain that controlled my attitude to stall for a moment. So instead I turned slowly on my heel to face them, and to my delight, his voice wasn't the only delicious thing about him.

He was dressed in all black: suit, shirt, tie, and dress shoes. And just like myself, black was definitely his color as it contrasted beautifully with his platinum blonde hair and light-colored eyes. Though his hair was lighter than mine and his eyes lacked the blue mine held, we shared the same alabaster skin tone. He was tall and fit and had one eyebrow cocked up at me with a teasing look on his perfectly angular face.

"It's called fashion," I started, flashing my blindingly white smile, "look it up." I finished with a wink.

He let out a quick exhale through his nose and one side of his mouth curled up slightly. Not quite a laugh, but I knew he thought it was funny.

I turned around to take the monstrosity off my head and set it back where I found it but also using it as a chance to control the smile that was creeping up my face. I took another moment to smooth down any flyaways, making sure every hair was in its rightful place.

Turning back to face the handsome stranger, a situation he seemed to want to quickly remedy, he pulled his hand out of his pocket and offered it to me along with his name.

"Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

 _"_ Eleanor Blaylock" I offered back as I shook his hand.

"Well, your accent explains why I've never seen you around here before."

I just nodded my head in agreement, watching his face closely to see if he meant that rudely.

"Let me buy you a cup of tea." He stated with an arrogant tone like there was no use in asking because he already knew what my answer would be.

I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of an immediate 'yes', so I let my gaze wander around the shop like I was weighing my options.

"Well, I suppose I've gotten what I want for now." To him, that meant I was done shopping, but to me, it also meant that he had asked me out before I had spoken even ten words, and I couldn't have been more pleased.

I strode up to the counter, quickly paid for my items before the woman could try to coax me into buying anything else, and told her my room number at the Leaky Cauldron where my purchases were to be delivered.

I made my way back towards Draco, who was looking a bit smug.

"Lead the way, Mr. Malfoy." My words like honey and I batted my long eyelashes a couple of times for good measure. Which had the desired effect as the smug look left his face for a second and a small, genuine grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.

—————

We sat at a bistro table outside the little cafe in Diagon Alley, both with a cup of tea, his black, mine with milk and sugar, and a small plate of biscuits between us.

"So what brought you across the pond?"

"School. I've attended Ilvermorny since my first year, but I wanted to experience a bit more of the world so I decided to transfer." I lied, telling anyone why I'm really here would defeat the whole purpose.

"Ah," he takes a sip of his tea before continuing, "well you will definitely fit right in at Beauxbatons." He says with a smirk and I catch his eyes quickly sweep down my body before meeting my gaze once more.

I give a small self-satisfied chuckle before I tell him, "No, I don't speak French so Beauxbatons was marked off the list. Durmstrang really piqued my interest, though."

His brow furrows at that. "Durmstrang? That is a predominantly male school." He chuckles with a hint of confusion.

With a raised eyebrow and a sly smile, I lift my teacup to my lips and simply reply, "Exactly" before taking a sip.

This actually evoked a laugh from him.

I place my cup back on the saucer and huff a little and roll my eyes at the memory of that conversation, "But that is the _same_ reason my father shot that option down without a second thought."

He gave a knowing smirk as he reached for a biscuit.

"So really the only option left was-"

"Hogwarts." He finishes my sentence before popping the biscuit in his mouth.

"Yes. I don't know anything about it, but from what I've been told it's a great school."

Draco gives an almost disgusted huff at my comment, and answers my concerned look with, "It's...fine. Most of the professors are half-wits in my opinion and don't get me started on the students. But as you said, there aren't many other options."

_I had another option...Ilvermorny is an amazing school where I have received a top-notch education thus far. Thanks, Mom and Dad for sending me to an apparently shit school and ruining my future._

"So you go...or _went_ to Hogwarts?" I'm now realizing I have no idea how old he is. He looks young, probably near my age, but everything else about him would lead anyone to believe he was easily in his twenties.

He holds much more confidence than any teenager I know. He looks so refined, yet at ease sitting across from me. Perfect posture, legs crossed, one ankle resting on his other knee. Every move he makes is smooth and almost calculated. His strong hands dwarfing the teacup...

"Currently attending, yes," his words pull me from my thoughts, "I'll be starting my sixth year."

"Well then, it looks like we'll be seeing each other around. I'm in sixth-year as well." I say matter-of-factly, trying to hide the little wave of relief that had just come over me.

"I suppose we will," he replies with that arrogant smirk.

The sun had started to dip behind the shops just as we both finished our tea. I stood first to establish that he was the one that wanted to stay longer.

"Well, it's getting late so I should get going." He was following my lead this time and reflexively stood when I did. He buttoned his suit jacket as I spoke. I grabbed my bag off of the chair back and slowly trailed my eyes up until they met his, "Thank you for the tea."

"My pleasure." Damn that cocky grin.

"See you around, Draco." I threw over my shoulder as I had already turned to head in the direction of the Leaky Cauldron.

"Count on it, Blaylock." I heard him say, not entirely sure he meant for me to hear it.

But because I did, an ear-splitting grin stretched across my face and I was extremely glad I had my back turned to him.

I continued down the Alley, not chancing a look back in his direction. _Always leave 'em wanting more._

As I arrived back to my room at the Inn, I flopped down on my bed, noticing all the shopping bags from today's haul lined neatly against the wall.

My first day in London went much better than I had anticipated. All my supplies were ready for this year, which I will now start with knowing at least one person. One extremely handsome person. Who knows, maybe he'll become a friend...maybe more.

The whole afternoon with Draco was a much-needed ego boost, and I am feeling much more confident about the start of the term.

After organizing my trunk and double checking my list, I was content enough to crawl into bed and try to get a good night's rest before my big day tomorrow.

_Hogwarts, you better be ready._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! If you've made it this far then I just want to say a big THANK YOU for reading the first chapter of my first ever published fanfic! That being said, this may be a little rough in the beginning as I try to switch my brain from academic writing (which is the only writing I've done in the past 10+ years) to creative writing. If you enjoy the story, please let me know in the comments! I am going to try my best to include all warnings, but if you feel I left one out please let me know. I have this story pretty well planned out already, so I should be able to update regularly (every week or two is the goal). I'll post story updates on my TikTok (@pink.chaos) if you would like to follow me on there as well. If you know me from TikTok and are wondering why this is a Draco fic and not a Kylo fic here's the answer: I've been a Harry Potter fan for over 20 years and a Star Wars fan for about 6. My knowledge of the Harry Potter universe heavily outweighs my knowledge of the Star Wars universe and I feel more confident writing about it. Now, that's not to say that I will never write a Kylo fic because I have a beginning draft of one tucked away (so something to look forward to...hopefully). So again, thank you for reading, and wish me luck!]


	2. Patched and Frayed and Extremely Dirty

Apparently, transfer students were rare at Hogwarts. So instead of arriving with the other students by train this evening, the Headmaster requested that I arrive this morning to go through a sort of orientation.

That means that I get to have another mini road trip with my favorite red-headed Brit from the Ministry. I could tell he was just as ecstatic to see me as I walked to his piece-of-shit car parked outside the Leaky Cauldron.

_I get that you're trying to be inconspicuous, but come onnnn....No-majes drive nice cars too._

As soon as we were outside of the city and out of sight, he pressed a couple of buttons and the car started lifting off the ground.

_Hey, bud, in case you haven't noticed, this thing is barely roadworthy, let alone airworthy._

"When this beater starts to nosedive, make sure to hit something hard, I don't want to limp away."

He didn't make a sound, and I would have assumed my comment didn't phase him.....that is had I not seen his exaggerated eye roll that impressively rivaled my best ones through the rearview mirror.

With no plans for another boring car ride and needing something to distract me from my thoughts, I decided to make it a game to either get the ginger fuck to speak or make him _extremely_ uncomfortable. Bonus points for both.

This is a little number I like to call _"Eleanor's Stream of Consciousness"._

" _Sooo..._ did you go to Hogwarts?"

_Silence._

"Cool, cool, cool. Tell me about the professors. What do I want to know about them you ask? Oh, I don't know, any of them happen to be, say...six-foot-three, with flowy black hair and mommy issues? .....right, right that's a bit specific. But a girl can dream, yeah? Completely unrelated...but it's pretty cool that the age of consent in Great Britain is sixteen _amIright?_ "

His eyes shot wide open at that.

_Hehehe. Uncomfortable, check._

"H-HOGWARTS, yes, I-I went to Hogwarts!" he suddenly, and loudly, stammered.

_Winner, winner, chicken dinner._

Apparently scared of what might come out of my mouth next, he continued unprompted.

"My entire family has attended Hogwarts. My twin brothers just left last year, but my younger brother and sister will be in their sixth and fifth years respectively."

"Ew, gross, _four_ siblings? Thank _Merlin_ I'm an only child."

"I'm one of seven actually. I also have two older brothers."

"Jesus fuck, _seven?_ I can't imagine trying to _paddle the pink canoe_ with that many sets of ears around all the time."

In the mirror, I saw his brows draw together in confusion.

"You know...flobber the worm... _polish your wand?"_

His face immediately turned as red as his hair and his knuckles were completely white from how hard he was gripping the steering wheel.

" _Oooooh,_ you got caught, didn't you? Let me guess, let me guess...umm your oldest brother? No, no, wait!.... _your mom!_ "

His face getting impossibly redder answered that question.

"Hey, don't sweat it, bud. It's completely natural to get to know yourself _in the biblical sense_. Sometimes you just have to _take matters into your own hands._ "

Still no response, just palpable humiliation.

_Ugh, prude. Whatever. I was getting bored anyway._

I pulled out one of my new books and opened it up. I started reading but had to backtrack and re-read the first paragraph multiple times because my brain wouldn't focus on the words. Without the distraction of taunting my new BFF, a million thoughts about the upcoming year were running a marathon in my mind.

I finally gave up and just stared out the window at the clouds passing by. With any luck, we'd be arriving soon.

\----------

We arrived at the gates, not soon enough apparently because before it seemed the car had come to a complete stop, he was already outside pulling my luggage out of the trunk.

He quickly handed everything off to a very grizzled man who had long, stringy, gray hair despite being basically bald on top. I would have voiced my concern at who's custody I was being transferred into, had it not been for the tall, stern-looking witch accompanying him.

My friend said a quick greeting and farewell in the same sentence to the other two adults but tried jumping back in his car without saying a word to me. _That just won't do._

"Until we meet again Mr.-... I've just realized I don't know your name."

He stopped halfway sitting down into the driver's seat, avoiding eye contact at all cost.

"Oh, umm, Percy. Percy Weasley."

"Ah, well, _Percy,_ thank you so much for your _helping hand_ and please do _take care of yourself._ "

All I got back was a wide-eyed look and beet red face as he slammed his door shut and sped off.

Turning around to face my new chaperones, I was introduced to Professor Minerva McGonagall, the deputy headmistress and Transfigurations professor, and Argus Filch, the caretaker.

Professor McGonagall and I stepped up into a carriage while Filch loaded my trunk and other belongings into it.

The carriage pulled us down the path and eventually a large castle came into view.

I have to admit that the scenery was quite beautiful. The castle is surrounded by a forest and a large lake borders it on one side, which looks like a place I could most definitely find myself relaxing and reading.

Once we made our way to the castle, Professor McGonagall led me to her office so we could sort out my class schedule.

"Well, Miss Blaylock, looking at your records you had excellent marks in all of your subjects and received an "Outstanding" on all of your E.A.G.L.E.s, which qualifies you to take any N.E.W.T.-level class at Hogwarts." She spoke with a proper sounding Scottish accent and her eyes glimmered as she looked over my perfect transcript. "Therefore, your course schedule depends solely upon what careers you are interested in pursuing in the future." She said as she looked at me over the rim of her small glasses that were perched on the end of her nose.

"My parents would love nothing more than for me to get a job with MACUSA as an Auror or in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but I've always been drawn to alchemy."

"From your grades alone I believe any of those are completely viable options for you, Miss Blaylock. Let's go over the courses we offer for sixth-year students and we can discuss which ones will give you the most opportunities."

Professor McGonagall explained that sixth- and seventh-year students typically took fewer classes to allow them to focus their time and energy on the specific knowledge and skills they needed for their desired careers.

After much discussion, we settled on Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Arithmancy, Transfiguration, Charms, and Care of Magical Creatures.

She was surprised I was so eager to take Arithmancy, but I quite enjoy all types of mathematics and it comes very naturally to me.

She also tried to talk me out of taking Care of Magical Creatures because she thought the additional class would make my course load too heavy, but I assured her that I could handle it and also argued that the knowledge of creatures is paramount in potion-making due to the fact that so many ingredients are derived from magical creatures.

After coming to an agreement, we finalized the schedule and she proceeded to take me on a basic tour of the castle, showing me where my classrooms were and introducing me to the other professors that we ran into along the way.

As we walked she explained that this evening once everyone arrived and before the feast began, myself and the incoming first-year students would be sorted into houses, just like I had been when I entered Ilvermorny.

Similar to the Horned Serpent, Wampus, Thunderbird, and Pukwudgie of Ilvermorny, the Hogwarts houses of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin were based on the ideals and characteristics of their founders.

When I entered Ilvermorny, it was no surprise to anyone who knew me that the Thunderbird carving immediately started beating its wings as soon as I stood in the middle of the room. I was always extremely independent and headstrong as a child, never failing when I set my mind on a goal, qualities which have only magnified as I've gotten older.

Our house was our family while we were at school. _Sometimes more of a family than my actual one._ This seemed to be true here as well, but the way McGonagall was talking about them made it seem like there was more to it than that.

As we continued to walk through the halls we turned a corner and almost ran straight into someone, startling Professor McGonagall.

"Oh! Severus! Forgive me, I was deep in conversation and didn't hear you coming. But I'm glad you're here. Please meet our new transfer student from America, Miss Eleanor Blaylock. Eleanor, Professor Snape."

This tall man with greasy, black hair who was wearing too many layers of black robes just stared down at me. As neither of us said a word, McGonagall continued.

"Miss Blaylock will be in your sixth year N.E.W.T. potions class, and from what I've been told she has quite the aptitude for potion-making, so I expect her to excel." She beamed.

"Hm. We shall see." He responded nasally.

_Oh yes, we will._ His unwarranted doubt of my abilities pissed me off but was just the motivation I needed to ensure I would be the best damn potions student he ever taught.

Professor Snape sidestepped around us and continued in the direction he was previously headed without as much as a parting word. I glared at him over my shoulder as he walked away.

_Go wash your nasty hair, asshole._

_\----------_

The tour ended at the Great Hall where McGonagall suggested we grab a bite to eat for lunch before we met with the Headmaster.

The room was aptly named, having a very high ceiling and easily accommodating the four long tables that ran the length of it. McGonagall explained that each house had its own table, and this is where all meals and other gatherings took place. Another table sat at the front of the room, perpendicular to the other four, which was obviously for the staff as there were a few seated at it eating their lunch.

Introductions were made to the professors we hadn't come across throughout the morning and acknowledgments were given to those we had.

After our meal, the professor led me up to the seventh floor where the Headmaster's office was located. We walked up to a gargoyle statue that moved to the side when she said the words _"sherbet lemon"_ to reveal a spiral stone staircase. As soon as we were on the first step the staircase began ascending on its own.

The staircase stopped moving and opened to a small entryway leading to a large wooden door. Professor McGonagall approached the door, knocked, and was met with a distant voice saying, " _Please come in."_

The door opened on its own to reveal a circular room covered in portraits and filled with various objects and knick-knacks.

In the center of the room was a very large desk, and seated in the oversized high-back chair was an elderly wizard.

He stood and walked around his desk as we entered and I could see his long, silvery-white hair and beard reached past his waist. He wore half-moon spectacles that sat on the tip of his nose, royal purple robes trimmed in gold, and a matching pointed hat.

_This has got to be what No-majes envision when they think of Merlin._

"Professor Dumbledore, sir, this is Miss Eleanor Blaylock." Professor McGonagall introduced me.

"Ah, yes! Welcome, Miss Blaylock!" Dumbledore said brightly, "We are so excited to have you join us."

"Thank you, headmaster. I'm excited to be here." _Not exactly._ "The castle is lovely, and all the professors seem to be great. _Well almost all of them."_ I said that last bit under my breath, but McGonagall and Dumbledore must have heard it because they quickly shared a knowing look. "I know you don't commonly accept transfers, so I am grateful for the opportunity to learn at such a prestigious school."

"Safety is one of our top priorities here at Hogwarts, so there wasn't even a second thought given when your circumstances were explained," Dumbledore said solemnly.

My breath caught in my throat. "Oh, I- wasn't aware anyone here had been informed."

"No need to worry, child. Very few. In fact, the information was only shared with myself, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape." He quickly reassured. "And I think it goes without saying that it will remain between the four of us. But should you need anything or have any concerns, please do not hesitate to come to any one of us at any time."

_Well, one of you will only be sought out as a last resort..._ "I will, sir. Thank you."

"Well it seems we've covered everything, so unless you have any questions, dear, let's go find Mr. Filch and see where he has placed your trunk so you can change into your robes. The students will be arriving before we know it." Professor McGonagall seemed eager to change the subject, which I was thankful for.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Blaylock, I wish you a wonderful year," Dumbledore said as we turned to leave. I offered back a quick, " _Likewise, Professor Dumbledore."_ As I followed McGonagall out of his office.

\----------

By the time we found Filch, got my things, and I changed into my uniform, it was less than a half-hour before the sorting ceremony and welcome feast were to begin.

Professor McGonagall led me down to the dock where the first years would be arriving separately from the other students so I could enter with them to be sorted.

We waited in silence and listened to the sound of the water below and the distant sounds of the forest.

It had caught me off guard that some of the professors knew the real reason I had come to Hogwarts, but strangely enough, it also gave me a little bit of comfort.

Looking out across the water, a handful of torch lights could just barely be seen. They drew closer and eventually I could make out a handful of rowboats headed our way.

Once they docked, about forty eleven-year-olds, some of which I had seen in Diagon Alley, piled out of the boats, along with... _holy shit..._ the biggest man I have ever seen in my life. He had to be almost nine feet tall and had a shaggy and thick head of hair and beard.

"'E-llo, Professor McGonagall! Who yeh got 'ere?" He spoke with a thick accent, but I couldn't have placed its origin if I tried.

"Hagrid, this is our new transfer student, Eleanor Blaylock. Miss Blaylock, this is Rubeus Hagrid, our groundskeeper. He will also be your Care of Magical Creatures instructor."

"O'course! I was wonderin' when yeh might be gettin' 'ere. Welcome to 'ogwarts!" he boomed. He leaned down closer to Professor McGonagall and said with a wink, "Here's ter hopin' she makes Gryffindor." McGonagall suppressed a large grin, but I could tell she agreed with him.

I just smiled back politely, trying not to stare, but his enormous size made that almost impossible.

The two professors, myself, and the rest of the group made our way up through the courtyard and into the foyer in front of the massive double oak doors that led into the Great Hall.

The doors were closed but the excited buzz of hundreds of voices could be heard through them.

Professor McGonagall turned to face the group as she reached the doors and addressed everyone. "The welcome feast will begin shortly, but first you must be sorted into your houses." She continued with the same speech she had given me earlier in the day. "...your house will be like your family while you are at Hogwarts. You will have classes with your housemates, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend your free time in your house common room. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house you are placed in."

As soon as she finished, the double doors glided open on their own and the volume increased ten-fold.

The barren room I had been in earlier was now bursting with life. The cathedral-style ceiling had been bewitched to look like the night sky, giving the illusion that there was no roof at all. The four house tables were packed with students all in matching black robes, but I could see colored patches on theirs that mine and the first-year's lacked.

The noise level dipped as the sound of the doors opening had drawn everyone's attention. All eyes landed on our group at the entryway and a wave of whispers crashed through the room as everyone began noticing the first year that looked sixteen.

_Welp...here we fucking go._

Professor McGonagall led the way to the front of the Great Hall towards a stool with a filthy old hat sitting atop it that I'm pretty sure I saw in the Headmaster's office earlier.

After a beat, a mouth appeared near the brim and the hat started _singing_ of all things.

I didn't really catch what the thing was saying because I kept hearing whispered comments from the tables behind me.

_"Bloody hell, what are they feeding these girls nowadays?"_

_"There's no way she's a first-year!"_

_"Please, Merlin, let her be put in our house!"_

_"I definitely didn't see_ her _on the train."_

I just rolled my eyes, both hating and loving the attention at the same time.

Everyone suddenly broke into applause and I focused back at the hat which had finished singing and appeared as if it were bowing.

Professor McGonagall walked up next to the stool and had a roll of parchment in her hands.

"When I call your name, please step forward and I will place the hat on your head so that you may be sorted," she said. "Eleanor Blaylock!"

_Fuuuuuck...I didn't know I would be going FIRST._

I walked up and turned around to sit on the stool. As I faced the crowd, every eye was on me and the hiss of whispers could still be heard throughout the hall. McGonagall placed the hat on my head and I flinched slightly when it began speaking right into my ear.

"Interesting. It's been many years since I've sorted someone of your age. Makes it a bit more challenging. Let's see...you are brave, yes, and loyal, no doubt. You are extremely intelligent and value it above almost everything else. Perhaps Ravenclaw? No...you will stop at nothing to attempt to satisfy your unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Such ambition can only mean — _SLYTHERIN!_ "

The hat shouted the last word so that everyone could hear and immediately cheers and whistles came from the table on the far right. A few groans could also be heard scattered throughout the rest of the hall.

Professor McGonagall removed the hat from my head and I stood from the stool. She gave me a tight smile, but her eyes held a hint of... _sadness?_

As I walked towards what I now know is the Slytherin table, two girls towards the front who looked to be about my age eagerly waved me over. Not wanting to get stuck sitting with the first years who would eventually be sorted into Slytherin, I accepted the invitation and they slid apart on the bench to allow me to sit between them.

"Blaylock, is it?" the witch on my right asked. She had long, brown hair, green eyes, and was actually quite gorgeous.

"Yes, Eleanor Blaylock."

"Oh _shit!_ You're American? Ha! The guys bet money that you were a transfer from Beauxbatons," she turned and flipped someone off down the table. "I'm Pansy Parkinson. This is Daphne Greengrass," she said pointing to the girl on my left. She had dark blonde hair that swept her collarbone and hazel eyes and gave a little wave and smile when I looked towards her.

"Damn, baby, did you just cast Duro? Cause you're making me hard!" The boy across from me said leaning across the table with a self-satisfied grin.

"Shut the fuck up, Pucey! Nobody wants your tiny dick!" Pansy whisper-yelled at him.

His eyes widened and his upper lip curled as he shifted his gaze to Pansy, but he just sat back without a word and focused back on the sorting ceremony. I could see his cheeks were now tinged red.

I quickly concluded that Pansy was an absolute bitch.

I liked her immediately.


	3. A Grand Atmosphere, but Also Quite a Cold One

When the sorting ceremony was finally over Dumbledore gave his opening remarks and then suddenly all the platters in front of us were piled high with a variety of food.

The hall was filled with the sounds of chatter and metal on metal as silverware clanked against platters and plates.

I was a little leery of some of the options, so I played it safe with some roasted chicken and potatoes. Thankfully everyone seemed to be more interested in the food at the moment, and stuffing their mouths kept them from bombarding me with questions.

I talked with Pansy and Daphne and found out I would be sharing a dorm with them after they asked me what year I was in and they told me they were sixth-years as well.

The feast felt like it was over as quickly as it started. A few students at each table, including Pansy next to me, had stood and started telling the other students of their houses it was time to make their way to their respective dormitories.

I must have been giving Pansy a confused look because she looked down and simply said, “I’m a Prefect. Basically a glorified hall monitor. But it does have its perks,” she finished with a devilish grin.

Everyone got up and made their way out of the Great Hall, each house splitting off in a different direction.

Pansy had gone ahead to lead the group of first-years, which I felt I needed to be with too because I had no idea where we were going. But Daphne stayed with me and we walked together towards the back of the group.

I was desperately trying not to give dirty looks to everyone in front of us that had at some point looked back in my direction when Daphne suddenly gasped next to me. Reflexively my head jerked towards the sound and I saw that a girl with short black hair had snuck up from behind and wrapped her arms around Daphne’s waist.

“Ugh, Trace! You scared the shit out of me!” Daphne half laughed.

“But you still love me,” the girl replied mockingly. Daphne just rolled her eyes.

“Hel- _looo_ …Daphne don’t be _rude,_ introduce me to your hot, new friend!” This earned the girl a jab in the ribs, which I chuckled at.

Daphne rolled her eyes again. “Eleanor, this is my annoying ass girlfriend, Tracey Davis.” Tracey feigned hurt with wide eyes, mouth agape, and her hand on her chest.

“Nice to meet you,” I said still laughing.

“Yes! I was right! Ha! Fuck you, Zabini! Told you she wasn’t French, now pay up!” She exclaimed running off towards a tall boy with ebony skin.

Daphne shook her head and we both laughed as we started down a flight of stairs. This path was familiar from earlier when McGonagall had shown me where the potions classroom was.

After walking down the hall of the dungeons a way, the group stopped in front of a bare stretch of the stone wall. I thought I heard someone up at the front say the word “ _pureblood_ ” and then the wall morphed into a passageway that everyone started through.

I stepped into a dimly lit room that was filled with furniture of dark mahogany and black leather. There was a massive fireplace with an intricate mantle underneath a large painting of a serpent. Green and silver decor completed the aesthetic. Through the windows, I could see creatures swimming by. _We must be under the lake_.

Most of the students my age had found a couch or chair to plop down in, but I was still taking in my surroundings like the other first years when someone grabbed my arm.

“Blaylock! You’re sitting with us.” Pansy said matter-of-factly as she led me to two long, black, tufted leather couches facing each other in front of the fireplace. The warmth was welcomed because it was fucking cold down here.

I sat in the middle of the couch next to Daphne, who was sitting in Tracey’s lap, and Pansy took the cushion on my other side.

“So this is Tracey-“

“Oh, we’ve met,” Tracey interrupted Pansy with a wink.

“Oh my god, Trace, you’re such a whore,” Pansy said rolling her eyes and laughing. Tracey smirked and unapologetically shrugged her shoulders.

“And this is Millicent,” Pansy pointed over her shoulder to the girl sitting on the arm of the couch behind her. “You’ll be in the same dorm with all of us.”

“But you can always come over to our room when those two start going at it,” the dark-skinned boy from earlier said with a cocked eyebrow, pointing at Tracey and Daphne. He was sitting on the opposite couch with a few other boys.

“Blaise, you’re just miffed because I told you ‘ _no_ ’ when you asked if you could watch!” Tracey said, wrapping her arms tightly around Daphne’s waist and peering around to give him a suggestive look.

“Nah, mate, she wouldn’t have any interest in you lot. Our room is where the _real_ fun is at, darling.” An older looking boy standing behind Blaise with his arms braced on the back of the couch said.

“What Warrington means by ‘ _real fun’_ is him, Montague, and Pucey sucking each other off every chance they get!” A new voice came from behind me. Pansy and I turned at the same time, mirroring each other to look at whoever was talking.

I noticed Pansy sat up straighter and had a twinkle in her eye as she stared up at the chestnut-haired boy who was now copying Warrington’s posture with a devious look on his face.

A fit of laughter broke out from everyone except Warrington and the guy that Pansy had told off in the Great Hall earlier ( _Pucey, I think?_ ), who were both fuming.

Pansy’s laugh was genuine and seemed louder than the rest. I thought maybe that was just because she was closest to me, but her eyes never strayed from his face.

She watched as his head dropped and his eyes met mine. He held out a hand and said “I’m Theodore Nott, but you can call me Theo.” I shook his hand awkwardly over my shoulder as I was still half-turned facing Pansy.

Her attention darted to me and the look she gave me was cold as ice.

_Yep, she definitely has a thing for him._

“Oi, vultures! You’re acting like she’s a bloody alien.”

_I know that voice…_

A smile threatened to break across my face, but I replaced it with a smug look before I slowly rotated my body to face a tall, lean figure with a newly familiar head a platinum blonde hair.

His annoyed glare swept across the group until grey eyes locked with mine and his expression shifted into his signature arrogant smile.

“Fancy seeing you here,” Draco said playfully.

I shrugged one shoulder and nonchalantly replied, “I was in the neighborhood.”

The rest of the group exchanged confused looks and went back and forth between Draco and me, trying to figure out what they had missed.

The only ones that didn’t look confused were the two large guys flanking Draco on either side. But to be fair, by the looks of them, the lights may be on but no one was home.

“At least that ruddy old hat is good for something, would’ve been a shame had it put you anywhere else.”

Turning towards the girls, who were eyeing me suspiciously, I reached up and ran my hand over the top of my head, “Speaking of that hat, has it ever been cleaned?” I grimaced. “Honestly it should probably just be tossed,” l glanced back towards Draco “Actually I was shopping the other day and saw one that would be an excellent replacement.”

The image of the hat I tried on in Twillfit and Tattings in place of the sorting hat must have just flashed through Draco’s mind because a laugh spewed out of his mouth and he just shook his head as everyone became even more confused.

I could tell Pansy didn’t like being out of the loop, so I wasn’t surprised when she suddenly stood up and offered to show me to our dorm room.

“Aww come on, Pans! We’re having fun! And I’m sure she doesn’t even wa-“

“ _SHUT THE FUCK UP, PUCEY!”_ Pansy shrilled.

This time I couldn’t hold in the laugh so I slapped my hand over my mouth to try to stifle it.

The whole common room went dead silent for a moment and then everyone on the two couches erupted in laughter. Everyone except Pucey, who stood up and stormed off towards what I assumed was the boys’ dorms. As he stomped away I’m pretty sure I heard him mumble _“fucking bitches.”_

_——-_

Before the door to our room was even shut Pansy whipped around and asked, “How the hell do you know Draco Malfoy?”

“I don’t really,” I responded while walking over to my luggage that was placed at the foot of a bed I assumed was mine. The four other girls didn’t say anything, which was my cue to elaborate, “I met him in Diagon Alley when I was getting my robes.”

“But yet you already have inside jokes?” Pansy prodded.

“Maybe,” a pause, “why do you care so much anyway? I thought you were into Theo.”

Pansy spluttered, “W-what? _No!_ I-“

“Oop! And that’s the tea, sis!” Daphne interjected causing Pansy to shoot daggers her way.

“No? Could’ve fooled me by the way you were eye-fucking him earlier,” I said with my back turned as I bent over and opened my trunk to start unpacking.

I could hear Pansy crossing the room towards me, “Listen here you bit-!”

I stood and swiveled on my heel just in time to be toe-to-toe with her, cutting off her sentence, “Why are you not with him?” Pansy’s eyes grew wide as my question caught her off guard. Her pointed finger that was originally aimed at my face was slowly lowering.

I asked again, “If you want him, why are you not with him?”

Pansy’s hand fell to her side clenched into a fist. Her face was scrunched up and she was getting even more flustered. “I-…It’s-“

“Does he have a girlfriend?”

“No, but-“

“Is he your ex?”

“Merlin, no! I just-“

“Then what’s the holdup?”

Pansy was red-faced at this point and threw her hands in the air in frustration. She stamped over to her bed and fell back on it dramatically, one arm draped over her face. “Ugghhh! I don’t _know!”_

A victorious smirk played on my lips as I glanced over to Tracey and Daphne who were laying on a bed together and giving me the same look. I walked over and leaned against Pansy’s bedpost with my ankles cross and a hand on my hip.

She peeked out from under her arm and I raised my eyebrow questioningly at her. With an exaggerated sigh, she uncovered her face, “I just don’t think he’s interested in me like that.”

I scoffed, “Well I’ve only known you for like, five minutes, so I really can’t say anything about your personality, but if the boy doesn’t at least think you’re fucking hot, then he’s blind.”

Pansy rolled her eyes but smiled at my comment.

“Also, you just happen to be new roommates with Ilvermorny’s number one matchmaker and wing woman,” I said gesturing to myself.

Pansy leaned up on her elbows, doubt written all over her face, but laced in was a hint of curiosity.

“Give me two weeks,” I assured “but I only deal with procurement, not sustainability. That part is all on you,” I added over my shoulder as I walked back to my bed.

Looking at the time, it was getting late and I wanted to be fully rested for the first day of class tomorrow.

I quickly went through my nighttime routine and crawled into bed. I’ve always been the odd one that can’t sleep the night before the first day of school due to the anticipation of what the new year will hold. I had expected this year would be no different but caused by nerves instead of excitement. However, as I laid there I found myself feeling just as eager as I was the night before my first day at Ilvermorny.

I had packed some Sleeping Draughts for this reason, but as I replayed the day’s events over in my head, a wave of contentment washed over me and I shut my eyes and felt myself begin to drift…


	4. Ignorance Is Not Charming

Begrudgingly, I woke up early for the first day of classes so I would have plenty of time to get ready. Expecting eyes to linger on me all day as they had last night, I needed to make sure not a hair or eyelash was out of place.

By the time I had gotten out of the shower, the other four girls were slowly rousing. Never having been a morning person I didn’t speak to anyone, but nobody spoke to anyone else either. Save for Daphne and Tracey who were still laying in bed together whispering to each other.

With a bit of charm work, my hair and makeup were done in record time and all that was left to do was get dressed into my new uniform.

Pulling a set of robes out of my wardrobe, I noticed that the Slytherin house crest had appeared on them and the insides were now deep emerald green. I shrugged them on and stood in front of the floor-length mirror to do a final once-over of myself.

_I’m partial to the monochrome look but damn…green maybe my new color._

None of my roommates were anywhere near ready, so I decided to slip out and head to the Great Hall in hopes that, _Merlin willing_ , I could get a latte.

I grabbed my bag and walked down the stairs to the common room hoping it was still early enough that it would be empty and I wouldn’t have to interact with anyone.

Alas, this was not the case. As I rounded the corner at the top of the stairs I could see Blaise and Draco sitting opposite each other on the couches in front of the fireplace, both reading their own copy of a newspaper.

I intended to walk right on through the common room without acknowledging either of them, but I had just made it to the landing when Draco’s newspaper folded in half and he spotted me.

“Someone’s up bright and early for their first day of school,” he teased.

When I didn’t respond he asked, “You know class doesn’t start for over an hour, right?”

I only offered back three words, “I need caffeine.”

Amused, “Would you care for some company?”

“Pass.”

Blaise snorted at my rejection, which probably bruised Draco’s ego. The thought made me smirk.

I continued through the passageway and headed in the direction I vaguely remember the Great Hall being.

After successfully finding my way, I was relieved when I entered and saw that there were only a handful of students scattered about the room, very few of them being seated at the Slytherin table.

I took a seat towards the front with my back to the wall so I would have ample warning if anyone were to approach me.

There were various breakfast foods on the table: toast, bacon, sausage, and eggs, and a few other things I was unsure of. Unfortunately, there was no coffee in sight, just tea.

Being the only source of caffeine available, I poured myself a cup, added some milk and sugar, and lifted it to my face to breathe in the steam. _This will have to do._

I felt hungover, but I accredited it to the fact that I was still adjusting to the time difference. I counted back in my head, _it’s two a.m. at home right now._

I sipped my tea and sat with my eyes closed, mentally preparing for the day, until a monotone voice interrupted my reverie. _So much for that warning._

“Miss Blaylock,” my eyes popped open and a piece of parchment was being held in front of my face, “your class schedule.”

I took the paper and looked up to see Professor Snape already walking away, his grimy hair and overabundance of robes following behind.

I was less than thrilled last night when one of the guys had mentioned that Snape was the Head of Slytherin house, but thankfully they said he rarely shows up in the common room and honestly doesn’t give a shit what we do as long as no one dies or blows something up.

I have never accepted negligence so eagerly.

Looking over my schedule, I was a bit surprised that McGonagall considered _this_ a heavy load.

|  |  |  |  |   
---|---|---|---|---|---  
  
Free periods every day and no classes on Tuesday or Thursday? _Cake._

_——-_

Eventually, the rest of my housemates made their way to the Great Hall, if only with enough time to get their schedule and figure out where they needed to go for their first lesson.

Apparently, due to smaller enrollment in each subject in the later years, there is only one section per subject for sixth years, meaning all four houses have classes together.

All the sixth year Slytherins had signed up for Charms, so when the first bell rang indicating it was time to head to class, we all made our way to the third floor.

The charms classroom was set up with four rows, two on each side of the room facing the middle, and the back row on each side is slightly elevated to allow a better view.

The boys immediately went to the top row on the right side so I grabbed Pansy’s arm and moved to sit her directly in front of Theo. She started to pull her arm away at first, but I motioned with my eyes in Theo’s direction and she caught on quickly and complied. I sat on her left, which was the last seat on the row and also happened to be the lower seat corresponding to Draco’s.

Professor Flitwick stood at the front of the room on a large stack of books to make up for what he lacked in height and welcomed everyone to class.

While he was going over the syllabus I scribbled a quick note and passed it to Pansy, making sure no one saw what it said, but being just obvious enough that the two sitting behind us saw me slide the note over.

_‘Follow my lead and do what I say. Just write something quick and pass this back. We’ll do that a couple of times until I know for sure he’s watching.’_

By the third time I had the note, I could see out of the corner of my eye that Theo was watching us intently, but I could also feel another pair of eyes trying to bore a hole through the back of my skull.

_Tsk, tsk. So nosey, Mr. Malfoy._

Now that I was sure we had Theo’s attention, we wrote back and forth, Pansy’s notes basically nonsense, but mine saying things like _‘absentmindedly put the end of your quill or finger between your lips’, ‘sweep your hair over one shoulder’, ‘act like I said something funny and bite your lower lip’_.

As Pansy was reading the most recent note, another piece of paper fluttered down and landed to my left on the desk. I opened it and read the neat handwriting.

_‘By the looks of it, you’re going to need some private tutoring soon. I graciously offer up my services.’_

I replied, _‘Going to have to try harder than that. And no need to worry about me, I’m known to be very Charming.’_

Draco gave a little snort as he read what I had written and when he looked down at me I shot him a playful wink. This also served as a deterrent for Theo to ensure he was paying attention to the right person.

Professor Flitwick had finished his overview of what we would cover in his class this year, but since it was a double block period we still had a bit of time left. For the remainder of the class, he had us begin attempting simple non-verbal spells with our desk partners.

Pansy and I decided the wand-lighting and wand-extinguishing charms were a good place to start. It didn’t take either of us long to perfect it, and soon we could “throw” it to each other, making it look like we were playing catch with a little ball of light on the tip of our wands.

We had drawn the attention of some others nearby, so the next time Pansy’s wand was lit, I slightly nodded towards Theo and she extinguished her wand with a flourish in his direction.

He must have been itching to join in because without hesitation he lit his wand wordlessly.

Theo waved his wand elaborately and flung it towards the ceiling, Nox-ing it in the process. He elbowed Draco, who had his head propped on his fist, looking extremely bored. I was about to stand up and act like I caught the light right in front of his nose when he slammed the base of his wand on the desk, the tip illuminating simultaneously.

He raised an eyebrow at me and employed that smirk that I was quickly developing a love/hate relationship with. I narrowed my eyes at him but couldn’t completely hold back my smile.

“See here, everyone!” Flitwick’s high pitched voice rang out across the room, “Miss Parkinson and Miss Blaylock have found such a creative way to practice casting _Lumos_ and _Nox_ non-verbally! Well done! 10 points to Slytherin!”

I gave the sweetest smile I could muster to Professor Flitwick, then side-eyed Draco and giggled when he rolled his eyes and shook his head at me.

_Ever the charmer, Eleanor._

—————

After Charms, we all had a free period before lunch, except for Daphne and Tracey who headed off to Herbology. We decided to go hang out in the Great Hall instead of going all the way back to the common room or out into the courtyard which was currently flooded with other students loudly catching up after their summer break.

“So, who wants to place bets on what _Saint Potter_ will miraculously save us all from _this year_?” Theo asked the group sourly as he slung his leg over the bench.

Everyone’s demeanor changed immediately. Looks ranged from annoyed on Pansy and Blaise to outright murderous from Draco.

I looked around puzzled, “Umm…what the fuck?”

They all gave me disgusted looks at first, but then quickly remembered I had no idea what they were talking about.

“Fucking Gryffindor twat in our year. At some point every year some _danger_ befalls Hogwarts and who else should come to the rescue but “The Chosen One” _Harry Potter_.” Pansy spat.

“Danger? Like what?” _I will definitely be asking my parents if they knew about this…_

“Let’s see…first year he fought Lord Voldemort.”

“Second year he killed Salazar Slytherin’s thousand-year-old, fifty-foot Basilisk that was living under the school, had been released, and was petrifying people-“

“What the actual FUCK?!”

“-and fought the Dark Lord, _again._ ” Theo finished.

“Third year he supposedly fought a werewolf and warded off over a hundred dementors with a full-blown Patronus Charm,” Pansy said doubtfully, “but I’ve never believed that one.”

“Fourth year he _mysteriously_ got entered into the Triwizard Tournament and was allowed to compete underage as the second champion from Hogwarts,” Draco said venomously, “and of-fucking- _course_ he ended up winning.” He finished red-faced.

“Still can’t believe Diggory was killed and not him.” Theo chimed in.

“Someone was _KILLED?!”_ They all just nodded. “Who killed them??”

“Voldemort.” They all said in unison.

“And-“

“ _AND?!_ There’s more??” _I will never let my parents live this down…_

“Yeah, last year-” Pansy cut off her sentence and looked around the table with wide eyes. Theo and Crabbe had their heads down and Draco had gone pale, “well same shit basically.” She mumbled quietly to me.

The table had gone silent. Something was obviously being left out but I dared not pry.

Draco abruptly stood angrily from the table and quickly made his way out of the hall, Crabbe and Goyle following at safe distance.

Pansy rolled her eyes shut but they quickly snapped back open and landed on Theo who had just stood as well.

Pansy gave him an apologetic look but he just pursed his lips to the side, shrugged, and walked out of the hall.

“Fuuuuuck.” Pansy exhaled as she fisted her hands in her hair.

Feeling like I had just stepped into some deep shit, I opted not to say anything.

I looked up and saw Daphne and Tracey headed our way with questioning looks on their faces. They must have seen the four guys leave looking not-so-happy, and now Pansy as well.

“Whaaat’s going on…?” Daphne asked cautiously as they both sat down slowly as if they were approaching a wounded animal.

Pansy let her hands fall to the table as she stared at Daphne blankly before simply shaking her head _‘no’._

That was apparently a good enough answer for her and Tracey, too, who didn’t inquire further.

We all just sat in silence and picked at the sandwiches that had recently appeared in front of us.

I looked down the table at Blaise and Millicent who had also been present for the whole ordeal but had not contributed to the conversation. Millicent didn’t look up from her plate and Blaise only glanced at me for a moment with an indifferent look on his face.

_What the fuck just happened?_

_—————_

After lunch I had Arithmancy with Pansy and Blaise. We all sat together but no one spoke the entire period.

Thankfully it wasn’t a double block so by the time Professor Vector had gone through the syllabus and given us our homework assignment, it was time to leave.

Pansy was done with her classes for the day, but while we ate lunch, Tracey and Millicent said they would meet me in the courtyard and we could walk down to Hagrid’s hut for Care of Magical Creatures together.

As we rounded the hut I could see Theo, Crabbe, and Goyle leaning against a short, stone wall that surrounded a small clearing just inside the tree line.

Theo nodded at us in acknowledgment and we made our way over. Tracey hoisted herself up on the wall to have a seat and I followed suit.

As we waited for class to start, Tracey chatted about what happened in Herbology that morning. I just nodded and gave a “yeah” or “hmm” every once in a while, not really paying attention to what she was saying. I was too busy discreetly watching Nott and Crabbe, trying to gauge their moods.

“Welcome err’ one!” Hagrid’s booming voice snapped my attention away from the guys. “Le’s get started, shall we?”

Unsurprisingly, Hagrid didn’t have a formal syllabus so he just stood and talked briefly about what creatures he planned to teach us about this year.

For the remainder of the period he had us stun and collect the Knarls that were in the daisy patch because Snape would be coming out later to gather potion ingredients.

_Might just leave one little guy hidden as a surprise for the dear professor…_

I found myself next to Theo who had just quickly stunned three Knarls. I bent down and picked one of them up. As I held it in my hand, I lightly poked at the sharp tips of its quills.

“Erm…sorry about earlier,” he said awkwardly. “Just a bit of a sore subject for some of us…” His voice trailed off.

I sat the Knarl in a nearby basket, “Sorry it got brought up by my questions.”

He shrugged one shoulder, brushing it off, “You didn’t know.”

“Do me a favor?” I asked and he raised his eyebrows mildly surprised. “Don’t blame Pansy either. She was pretty pissed off at herself afterward. But I didn’t tell you that.” The corner of his mouth curved up the slightest bit and he just nodded his head.

“Great! Then it’s settled, you’ll talk to her this evening.” I smiled and batted my eyelashes. He scoffed and looked at me as if I had just sprouted another head. “What? I said _favor._ You would be doing myself and the other girls a great service by ensuring Pansy doesn’t rant about it in our room all night. But I didn’t say that either.”

A long pause, then a defeated chuckle, “Fine.”

“You’re a doll, Nott!”

He just rolled his eyes but then his face was serious again, “Oh…er…best not to bring up the shit show in the Great Hall to Draco, yeah? He’s a bit more sensitive about it than the rest of us. But you didn’t hear that from me.” He said pointedly, copying my earlier comments.

I laughed a little but nodded my head in understanding. With a mutual agreement, we focused back on our task for the rest of the class.

—————

The rest of the afternoon went much more smoothly than the first half had.

We went back to the common room and hung out until dinner. When we walked in, Daphne and Pansy were sitting on the couches across from each other. Pansy looked up to see Theo, Tracey, and I, but quickly dropped her face back to the Arithmancy homework she was already working on. Her tan complexion hid the flush in her cheeks pretty well, but I still saw it.

Tracey fell onto the couch next to Daphne, swinging her legs over Daphne’s lap.

I cleared my throat to get Theo’s attention as I took a seat on Pansy’s couch, shooting him an impatient look and crossing my arms.

He walked around and rested his forearms on the back of the couch between Pansy and me. He leaned forward, looking at the work in Pansy’s lap, “Are you busy?”

Pansy jumped a little, startled by his voice, “No, not really.” She wouldn’t look at him.

“Can we talk for a minute?” He nodded his head towards one of the tables in the corner of the room once she finally looked at him.

Her eyes dropped to mine and I mimicked Theo’s gesture, encouraging her to get up, which she did.

Before he followed, he quickly whispered to me, “You’re quite bossy, d’you know that?”

I just hummed in agreement as he walked away.

Debating whether to stay and eavesdrop, I decided instead to go up to our room and write that letter to Mom and Dad…

_‘This is short for now because I don’t have much time until dinner. But did either of you know_ _about all the things that have gone down at this place in recent years??? If your answer is not an immediate “no”, then I’m calling CPS._

_I’ll write again later in the week and let you know how everything’s going._

_Love and miss you both._

_-E’_

I was going to add in a quip about Durmstrang for my dad, but I had been instructed to keep any letters vague in case they were intercepted, even though that possibility was honestly ridiculous.

I walked back down and through the common room, noticing that Pansy and Theo were still over in their corner talking, but continued on my way to the Owlery.

By the time I had sent my letter off and made it back down to the castle, there was a steady stream of people headed into the Great Hall.

I peered in and could at least see Tracey’s black head of hair so I joined the flow into the hall.

Dinner was uneventful, _thank Merlin_.

Back in the dormitory I quickly changed into my pajamas and crawled into my bed. A normal Monday would have been tiring on its own, but sprinkle in the drama and I was exhausted.

I decided to take a Sleeping Draught tonight so I wouldn’t lie awake thinking, plus I didn’t have any classes tomorrow so I didn’t have to worry about oversleeping. If Pansy wanted to tell me about her conversation with Theo, it would have to wait because as soon as I knocked back the potion I could already feel my eyelids getting heavy.

_What a hell of a first day._


	5. Potions, Parties, and Payback

Friday had arrived before I knew it.

The rest of the first week had gone by pretty smoothly.

Tuesday and Thursday were spent hanging out in my dorm or the common room doing homework, reading, or making further progress on the Pansy/Theo front.

Transfiguration Wednesday morning was…interesting.

It was another double block class, so after Professor McGonagall outlined this year’s curriculum she gave us an introduction to conjuring spells.

Pansy, Draco, Theo, Blaise, and I were the only sixth-year Slytherins taking Transfiguration. Draco and Theo sat at a table behind Pansy and I and Blaise sat behind them.

I caught McGonagall’s gaze lingering on our group a few times as she strolled around the room while she lectured. I made eye contact with her and gave her a polite smile, but the most she would return was a set of pursed lips before she kept on walking. It was a drastic change in her demeanor towards me compared to the day I had arrived, but I decided to just ignore it.

I had been excited for Friday all week. Not because it meant the weekend was just ahead, but because it started with a double of my favorite subject: Potions. And I wasn’t going to let the fact that it was with Professor Dickhead dampen my mood.

Snape only accepted students into his N.E.W.T. level class that had received an “Outstanding” on their O.W.L.s, or in my case E.A.G.L.E.s. So from Slytherin, it was only the five of us that took Transfiguration together that qualified to take Potions.

I figured Theo and Draco planned to sit together as they do in every other class, but I told Pansy that I would get Theo to sit with her instead.

We walked the short distance from our common room to Snape’s classroom together, staying close to the boys until I saw which table they were planning to claim. Draco sat first, so I quickly slid into the seat next to him. Theo jumped when he almost sat in my lap, giving me a _‘what the fuck?'_ look. I smiled sweetly, resting my chin on my hands, and then pointed to the empty seat next to Pansy who had her back turned to us.

Theo followed my motion until he saw where I was pointing then looked back at me with narrowed eyes. With one hand still supporting my chin, I slowly wagged my fingers goodbye with the other, letting him know I wasn’t going anywhere.

He let out an annoyed little huff and headed over to his new seat. Pansy acted surprised when Theo sat down next to her and was trying to suppress the giddy look on her face when she peeked back at me when he wasn’t paying attention.

“What are you doing?” Draco asked accusingly.

“Whatever do you mean, Mr. Malfoy?” I feigned innocence.

“You’ve been up to something all week involving those two,” he pointed his chin in Pansy and Theo’s direction.

“If you’ve picked up on that but can’t deduce the purpose, then maybe I need to find a more astute lab partner,” I raised an eyebrow challenging him.

“I don’t think it’s _you_ that should be worrying about the merits of their partner, Blaylock,” he challenged back.

“Oh, don’t you worry that pretty little head of yours, Draco, you’re in good hands,” I assured confidently.

Whatever Draco was about to toss back was interrupted by Snape’s grand entrance. As he strode up to the front of the classroom he spoke in his bored, nasally voice.

“As I do not expect most of you to make it through the full year, let alone one month, I will not waste my time with a syllabus.” _I believe that reflects more on your capabilities as a teacher than ours as students, idiot._ “Today you will be attempting to brew a Draught of Living Death. My confidence that any of you can do so alone is virtually nonexistent, therefore you will be working as partners. Instructions are on page ten of your textbooks. Begin.”

I was the first to hop up off my stool but when I saw that no one else was getting up I looked down at Draco who was thumbing through the pages of his book.

“Well? Do you mind showing me where the ingredient stores are?” I asked with a hand on my hip.

“D’you think we might need to know what ingredients we need first?” He fired back sarcastically.

I laid a hand over my face. “Shit, don’t tell me this is your first time brewing a Draught of Living Death?”

“Oh, like it’s not _your_ first time?” He questioned skeptically.

“No, it’s not.” I crossed my arms defensively.

“Alright, prove it,” he quickly skimmed over the ingredient list, making sure I couldn’t read it then stood up and headed across the room. I contained my urge to buckle his knees as I followed. ' _You’re a lady, Eleanor. Prove it with your brain, not your brute.'_ My mother’s words pushed their way unwelcome into my mind.

Draco stopped and waved his hand dramatically towards a wall of shelves lined with all sizes of jars containing a wide variety of ingredients. I scrunched my face in an annoyed sneer as I moved past him and started reading labels.

Every time I grabbed an item, I shoved it into Draco’s arms without looking, not caring if he couldn’t hold it all.

_Standard potioning water, powdered Asphodel root, Valerian root, infusion of Wormwood, Sopophorous beans, and……ah, there it is, a sloth brain._

I sat the last of the ingredients in Draco’s crowded arms and turned to head back to our table empty-handed.

“Get the water ready while I work on the Sopophorous beans.” Draco just looked at me stunned.

A laugh came from the table next to us, “Told you she was bossy, mate!” Theo taunted.

I furrowed my brows at Theo and flipped him off, causing both him and Pansy to laugh this time.

I turned back to Draco impatiently awaiting a response.

“Whatever you say, you’re the expert.” He raised his hands in amused defeat.

_Damn right._

We set to work, progressing much quicker and smoother than anyone around us. Our potion had just turned the desired blackcurrant color when Draco tried to stop me as I went for my thirteenth Sopophorous bean to crush, my technique having already earned me a weird look from him.

“That was twelve, you don’t need anymore.”

“I need thirteen,” I said, grabbing another bean and beginning to crush it.

“The book says twelve. You’re going to ruin it.”

“Well, the book is wrong. It needs thirteen.” I held the bean over the cauldron and let the juice drip into it as I stared Draco down. His eyes darted back and forth from mine to the cauldron, obviously waiting for some terrible reaction.

When nothing happened he looked back at the book with mild confusion. With no time to waste, I ignored his doubts and continued.

“Ok, now you need to stir. Ten times clockwise. It should turn a lilac color, then stir counterclockwise until it turns clear. But make sure to add a clockwise stir after every seventh counterclockwise stir.” I had my head down as I measured out the powdered Asphodel root.

“The book doesn’t say-” I snapped my head up and cut Draco off with just a look and he immediately began stirring.

I added in the Valerian root once the potion turned clear. Draco had me take over stirring and he poured in the powdered Asphodel root. I stirred it a few more times then we had to let it sit for a couple of minutes.

Snape had been skulking around the room as everyone worked, wearing his permanent look of distaste.

He must have spotted us just standing watching our cauldron bubble because he moved out of the shadows and headed over to our table.

“I had hoped that students from my own house would not be such a disappointment. I did not have high expectations for your abilities, Miss Blaylock, however, I do expect more from you, Mr. Malfoy.” Professor Snape said with all the contempt in the world.

I took a deep, steadying breath in and let it out slowly as I tilted my head up to meet Snape’s gaze and held it there without saying a word.

He stared down his nose at me as I grabbed one more small piece of Valerian root and dropped it into the cauldron.

Snape’s eyes had followed my movement, but I kept staring at his face waiting for his reaction. And by the look that just crossed his face, I could tell that our potion had turned the desired pale shade of pink without even having to look in the cauldron.

He watched the cauldron for a moment longer before quickly looking between Draco and me and offering a suspicious “Hmm” as the only acknowledgment of our success.

As Snape walked away, my hatred for him was outweighed by my joy of proving him and Draco wrong, and a self-satisfied smile settled on my face.

“Impressive, Blaylock,” Draco admitted as he peered at the bubbling, pink liquid.

I turned on my heel to face him, proudly displaying my I-told-you-so grin, “Well, not too shabby yourself, Malfoy. You kept up with me for the most part.”

“Then it’s decided, lab partners?” He asked, extending a hand.

_That motherfucking, cocky ass grin._

I paused a moment then took his hand, “Deal. But just know if you slow me down I’ll leave you in my dust.”

He chuckled slightly, “I would expect nothing less.”

—————

Potions ended with Draco and I being the only pair that successfully brewed an _“acceptable”_ draught, according to Professor Snape.

_Acceptable my ass, it was perfect._

After Snape dismissed class we went back to the common room until lunch.

Pansy and I had just sat down on one of the couches when Warrington, Pucey, and Montague walked through the passageway. They were talking excitedly when Pucey nudged Montague and pointed in our direction.

They crowded around behind us, obviously in a good mood about something.

“Hello, ladies!” Pucey started “We’ll be seeing you both at the party tonight I assume?”

“Party? What party?” I asked almost too eagerly.

Warrington scoffed, “What party she asks? Why only the most legendary party in Hogwarts history! The annual beginning of year Slytherin Soiree!” He said the last word aristocratically.

“Don’t let the name fool you, El, it’s just the seventh-years’ attempt to get everyone absolutely pissed so they can try to get in some fifth-year girl’s pants.” Pansy hissed.

“Someone is obviously still sore about what happened with Flint las-“

“PUCEY, DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE!” Pansy cut him off looking like she was about to hex him.

“So, Blaylock, you’ll be there, yeah?” Montague interjected, completely ignoring the imminent danger Pucey was in.

“Oh hell yeah, I never turn down a party.” he was obviously satisfied with that answer because he was wearing an ear-to-ear smile.

Theo abruptly stood up from his seat, obviously trying to distract Pansy, “I’m starving. Let’s go get food before we have to go to DADA. Pans, you coming?”

Pansy, still looking like she was going to murder Adrian, snapped around like she had been pulled from a trance at the sound of her name coming out of Theo’s mouth.

“Oh! Um, yeah!” She stood up, waiting for me.

“You go ahead, since we now have plans tonight there’s a couple of things I need to get done before class,” I said as I was creating a mental to-do list.

“Suit yourself.” She shrugged and walked off towards Theo.

Theo half-turned back when he realized it was just him and Pansy walking out, “What about you, Malfoy?”

“No, I’m not hungry.” I hadn’t been paying attention, but when I looked at Draco sitting across from me on the other couch he looked kind of pissed off, or at the very least, annoyed.

Theo and Pansy headed out towards the Great Hall and the seventh-year boys had wandered off somewhere, probably discussing party details.

I had planned on writing another letter to Mom and Dad this evening, like I had promised, to let them know how my first week went. I hadn’t received a response to the one I sent on Monday, but that wasn’t abnormal for them. I grabbed my bag and pulled out a pen and some paper. It ended up being a pretty short letter since I couldn’t give any details about anything.

I was still sorting out what else I needed to get done in my head, but Draco’s unwarranted sour mood was crowding the room.

“What’s up with you?”

“What? Nothing.” He snapped, acting as if he had just been caught with his pants around his ankles.

“Ohhhkay…well I gotta run up to the Owlery then I’m going to head to class,” I stood and pulled my bag up on my shoulder, still watching Draco who didn’t respond and continued scowling at nothing. I thought twice, and then “Do you want to come with?”

His head popped up, and similarly to Pansy earlier, his bad mood seemed to melt away a bit.

He exhaled sharply, “Sure.” He stood, grabbed his own bag off the floor, and followed me out of the common room.

We walked to the Owlery in silence. Draco had his hands in his pockets and he stared straight ahead blankly, but I could see the gears turning in his head.

We hiked up the steep stairway of the West Tower, Draco falling into step behind me since the staircase wasn’t wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side comfortably.

I had just gotten to the top of the stairs when a large, brown owl swooped through the doorway, almost skimming the top of my head.

 _“Oh, motherfucker!”_ I practically squealed, waving my arms frantically over my head.

In my panic I spun around but froze on the spot when I came face-to-face with Draco standing just a couple of feet away wide-eyed, looking thoroughly amused.

_Damnit._

Draco immediately burst out laughing.

“What…in the _bloody hell_ …was that?” He managed to get his words out between cackles.

I smacked him on the arm, “Shut up! I fucking _hate_ birds!”

“Who the hell is scared of birds?” He was trying, and failing, to hold back another bout of laughter.

“No! I’m not _scared_ of birds, I can’t stand them! They are _disgusting!_ ” I defended myself, “And you have no room to talk! The girls told me a _hilarious_ little story about you and a hippogriff!” Draco immediately stopped laughing. “Yeah, not so funny now is it, chicken boy?”

Draco’s expression went absolutely predatory, causing my heart to drop into the pit of my stomach like a brick.

“Oh, you’re going to regret that one, Blaylock.” A sinister grin stretched across his face and he lunged at me.

I squealed again and ran into the owlery. Weaving around perches, trying to keep as much distance between us, I quickly looked around for an owl.

I spotted one sitting near the doorway. I faked one way and ran towards the exit, frisbeeing the letter towards the owl, yelling “you know where to take it!” as I sprinted out and down the stairs, Draco right on my heels.

We ran all the way back up to the castle until we were in view of other people. We both slowed immediately to a brisk walk, Draco still trying to catch up to me as I walked just fast enough to stay out of reach.

As we rounded the corner through the entrance, my heart was threatening to beat out of my chest and I was embarrassingly out of breath. I was relieved when I caught sight of our group of friends just up ahead and picked my pace back up to catch up to the girls, also putting a little more distance between me and Draco.

I sidled up next to Pansy, who gave me a puzzled look at the sight of my flushed cheeks and heavy breathing.

I peeked back over my shoulder to see Draco still eyeing me like prey. The adrenaline coursing through my veins caused involuntary laughter to bubble up in my throat, some spilling out despite my hand being clapped tightly over my mouth.

I had hooked my arm in Pansy’s and was practically dragging her down the hall as my flight response was trying to take back over. Every time I looked back to make sure I was keeping a safe distance from Draco, a giggle would burst forth as soon as I saw the expression on his face.

We finally made it up to the DADA classroom on the third floor and I fell into my seat next to Pansy, breathing a sigh of relief as if I had just reached home base in a game of tag.

It really had been childish, but it was the most fun I’ve had in a while. I wish I would’ve had a camera because the look on Draco’s face was absolutely priceless.

I was contemplating a final glance back at him when warm breath was suddenly on the back of my neck and a low voice in my ear caused a chill to run down my spine.

“This isn’t over, Blaylock.”

—————

“You did _not_ call him that!” Daphne’s jaw dropped to the floor.

Pansy had fallen back on her bed gripping her side from laughing so hard and Tracey was literally rolling on the floor.

“And then he freaking _chased_ me through the Owlery and all the way back up to the castle!”

“So that’s why you looked like that? I thought you two had been off snogging!” Pansy was trying to catch her breath.

“Oh my God, _no!_ I was running for my life!”

“Oh don’t act like it was such a stretch of the imagination, El. There’s definitely a connection between you two.” Daphne stated frankly. I just rolled my eyes and turned back to my wardrobe.

After DADA we came straight back to the dorm to start getting ready for the party.

We all went through our wardrobes, borrowing and lending items to each other to put the perfect outfits together.

I settled on a high-neck, emerald green top with flowy sleeves tucked into a black leather a-line skirt that ended mid-thigh, black tights underneath, and silver suede wedge booties. I completed the ensemble with a silver bangle that resembled a snake and simple white gold diamond stud earrings.

Once we were satisfied with what we were going to wear, we started working on hair and makeup.

I helped Pansy and Daphne with theirs first while Tracey ran down to the Great Hall to sneak some food out and back up to our room. I wasn’t about to look like an idiot and blackout because I hadn’t eaten anything all day.

Daphne was curling my hair while I was putting the finishing touches on my smokey eye when there was a knock at our door.

Tracey bounced over and as soon as she opened the imperturbed door our room was filled with sounds from the party already underway downstairs.

“Davis! Are you girls going to stay up here all night or what?” A male voice was shouting over the music, it sounded like one of Draco’s goons.

“Go tell whoever sent you that we’ll be down whenever we’re damn well ready!” Tracey slammed the door in their face. Turning back to everyone else, “Soooo are we going to stay up here all night or what?” Tracey teased.

“Just one more piece….and done! Ugh, Eleanor, I wish I had your hair!” Daphne admired her handiwork in the mirror.

_You wouldn’t want this hair if you were in my family…_

“Ok, picture! Tracey get your ass over here!” Tracey had bee-lined for the door as soon as she saw Pansy grab her camera, but grumbled and came back over to the group.

Our poised group photo quickly devolved into stupid poses and faces that had us all doubled over laughing.

We composed ourselves and gave each other a final hair, makeup, and outfit check before we headed down to the common room.

Lights were strobing and I could feel the music thumping in my chest. All the furniture had been moved to the edges of the room to make space for a dance floor, which was currently occupied by about thirty people. I scanned the room and found the drink table and directed our group to it.

“Ladies, welcome! What’ll it be?” Warrington was currently manning the table and was gesturing to a few different drinks. “We have…beer, wine, and Firewhisky. Or if you’re feeling a bit more adventurous we have a reserve batch of Euphoria Elixir brewed by yours truly,” he said proudly. “And later if you need a pick-me-up we have Invigoration Draughts and if you need a pick-me-up-off-the-floor, we have Revive potion.”

“Davis! _Davis!_ Do you have it?” Pucey had just materialized next to Tracey.

“Let me guess, you were the one that sent Crabbe up to our room earlier?”

He waved his hand like he was batting away Tracey’s question, “ _Well…?”_

She reached in her pocket and pulled out two plastic bags, smirking “Did you ever doubt me?”

“Ah fuck yeah! Now it’s a party!” Pucey and Tracey went and sat down at one of the tables that had been pushed up against the wall. They poured some of the contents of one of the bags onto the table and started separating it into thin lines.

I leaned over to Daphne, “Is that powdered wormwood?”

“Yep. Pucey can’t get enough of it.”

“He’s snorted at least half his inheritance up his nose in the last three years.” Pansy interjected before turning back to the table, “What are you drinking?”

“Umm, I guess I’ll start with Firewhisky.” Warrington poured a glass and handed it to me and passed a glass of wine to Pansy.

Sipping our drinks we walked to the edge of the dance floor. Assuming my role as wing woman I looked around for Theo and finally spotted him and Blaise leaning against the wall across the room. I grabbed Pansy’s wrist and proceeded to weave us through the crowd.

When we emerged on the other side, Theo perked up and waved us over.

“Thought you all might’ve decided to skip out.”

“Perfection takes time,” I said gesturing to Pansy and myself. Theo laughed into his drink.

As we stood and talked I casually looked around, a little uneasy that I didn’t know where Draco was. I did not doubt that he meant it when he said _“this isn’t over.”_

I jumped at least a foot off the ground and almost spilled my drink down my front when I was suddenly grabbed from behind and someone yelled _“_ _Boo!”_ in my ear.

I whipped around expecting a higher eye level than what I was met with, “Son of a bitch, Tracey!”

Tracey was laughing obnoxiously, “You should’ve seen your face!” Daphne was standing behind her pinching the bridge of her nose.

Distracted, I jumped only slightly this time when another voice came out of nowhere.

“Why so tense, Blaylock?” Draco drawled. I faced him and was met with the same amused look he had on earlier outside the Owlery. “Maybe you need a drink, it’ll help you loosen up.” He smirked.

I sneered and waved my glass in front of his face.

“Ooo, I love this song! Eleanor, we’re dancing!” Pansy grabbed my arm to pull me to the dance floor. I quickly downed the rest of my drink and held my empty glass out aimlessly, which someone grabbed.

I latched on to Daphne’s arm as we passed, dragging her with us towards the center of the room. I made sure we didn’t get too far into the crowd so that Theo would still have an ample view of Pansy.

The three of us moved in sync to the thumping bass of the music. Pansy was effortlessly sexy, so I didn’t have to do much to help her show off. I glanced back to our group and saw Theo, Tracey, and Draco all with their backs against the wall and their eyes glued to us.

Draco’s eyes were locked on me so I arched an eyebrow at him to let him know he’d been caught, but seemingly not caring, the predatory grin from earlier crept back up his face.

I felt the blood rush into my cheeks. _We're just going to blame that on the alcohol…_

We ended up dancing for a few more songs before we gave out and walked back laughing and panting.

“Holy shit it’s hot. I need another drink.” I said, fanning my face. Before I could make a move towards the drink table, Draco offered his lowball glass to me.

I eyed the red liquid suspiciously, “Didn’t take you for a cocktail guy, Mr. Malfoy.” He just shrugged a shoulder, still holding the glass out.

I accepted the glass and took a liberal swig, “ _Ack! Merlin_ , how do you drink that?” My face twisted up as my tongue hung out of my mouth with the unpleasant taste still sitting on it. I pushed the glass back into Draco’s hand. “That tastes like tomorrow jumps both ways.”

_…what the fuck?_

Everyone stopped mid-conversation and stared at me completely bewildered.

I tried again, “The length of a raven’s roar is always second best.” I covered my mouth. _What the hell is going on?!_

Draco snickered. I watched as he tapped the tip of his wand to the edge of his glass and muttered _“Tergeo”_ , causing the red liquid to disappear.

My eyes went wide. “Cauldron bark!” _You motherfucker!_ “An idea visits Japan in the winter?” _Did you just give me Babbling Beverage?_ I pointed to his now empty glass.

Everyone around us was beginning to burst at the seams as they were piecing together what was happening.

“I’m sorry, what was that, darling?” Draco patronized, looking smug as ever.

I pointed my finger in his face, “The train files paperwork at midnight,” _You fucking arrogant, anemic-looking weasel…_

Draco painted a look of fake concern on his face, “Oh dear, you may need to visit Madam Pomfrey, you’ve been spouting nonsense _all day._ ” The girls doubled over at his last words, knowing exactly what he meant.

The hysterical laughter coming from our side of the room could now be heard over the music and was drawing the attention of other people.

“Bacon baubles perform in yellow sponge bookshelf diaries...” _If I didn’t like looking at your face…_ “A shooting star takes a shower in the maple syrup...” _I’d cast a stinging jinx so bad it would keep…_ “you in bed for-” I stopped, realizing the potion had worn off at a particularly inopportune moment.

“Oh, please, _do_ continue.” Draco urged, seconds away from completely losing it along with everyone else.

I just glowered at him before turning back and heading across the room. I still needed an actual drink and a strong one at that.

“Payback’s a bitch, Blaylock!” Draco hollered after me.

“And so am I, _Malfoy!_ ” I spat his last name and flipped him off over my shoulder. I wasn’t really mad at him, I just needed the embarrassment to wear off.

I made my way back through the crowd on the dance floor, trying not to catch an elbow to the face by some exceptionally terrible dancers.

I was almost safely past the mob when a hand landed on my shoulder.

“Hey! Blaylock, you made it!” Graham shouted over the music.

“Yeah, it was on my way home so I thought I’d stop by!” I quipped, pointing my thumb over my shoulder in the direction of my dorm room.

He gave an exaggerated laugh, then pointed to my hands, “Can I get you a drink?”

“Sure, that’s where I was headed anyway.” I continued back on my original path.

“What’s your poison?” Graham asked as he walked around the back of the table pushing Pucey aside, annoyed. It was apparently his turn to man the drinks, but he was looking pretty loaded.

“I’ll take another Firewhisky.”

“Did they give you that Ogden’s shit earlier?” I just shrugged and he rolled his eyes, “Twats. The cheap stuff is for the fifth-years,” He leaned down and reached far under the table, “ _You_ deserve Blishen’s.” He pulled out a bottle with a fancy label.

He poured us each a shot, we clinked our glasses together, tapped them on the table, then tossed them back.

The warm liquid ran smoothly down my throat, my eyes staying shut as I savored the feeling and taste. “I definitely did not have _that_ earlier.”

Graham smiled widely as I handed him my glass for a refill. He handed it back and I took another sip, enjoying the way it tingled on my tongue.

“You want to dance?” He nodded his head towards the crowd and offered his hand to me.

I swirled the amber liquid around in my glass a few times and decided _why the hell not_ and took his hand. He held my arm up over my head as I led the way to the center of the dance floor. He spun me around once before letting go and we started moving to the upbeat rhythm.

The crowd had parted just enough that I could see my group of friends still standing where I had left them. Pansy looked over and saw me so I beckoned her over. When no one followed her I yelled “You too, Nott! Unless you’re too _chicken!_ ” Theo immediately pushed off the wall and jogged up to Pansy, grabbing her by the hand as he passed and pulled her with him, catching her by surprise.

I glanced over at Draco who was scowling and shaking his head slightly. I raised my hands in feigned confusion and mouthed _‘what?’_ , but couldn’t hold back a victorious grin. I waved him off and kept dancing.

When that song ended, a slower one took its place and everyone on the dance floor started pairing off.

I was about to make my way back to our section of the wall when Graham held out his hand. I looked at it for a second then over to Pansy who was watching Theo, obviously hoping he would do the same. I decided to take Graham’s offer, hoping Theo would follow his lead, and much to Pansy’s delight, he did.

We swayed along to the music as I kept an eye on Theo and Pansy. They were actually talking to each other while they danced instead of just awkwardly looking around the room like half of the other couples were doing. She looked so happy and it made me smile absentmindedly.

Just then, we turned the other direction and I made eye contact with Draco over Graham’s shoulder. His scowl from a few minutes ago had morphed into a much angrier expression. I furrowed my eyebrows as if to ask _‘what’s wrong?’_ but he just took a sip of his drink and turned and said something to Crabbe and Goyle.

We spun again so my back was once more to Draco.

“So, how do you like Hogwarts so far?” Graham leaned in so he didn’t have to shout.

I contemplated for a second, “Better than I expected.”

“Good to hear. It’d be a shame to see you go.” He had moved in even closer and his hands were migrating south. _I don’t think so._

“Speaking of go…I need to use the ladies’ room. Excuse me.” I detached myself from his grasp and headed straight for the stairs.

Up in my room, I shut the door and leaned back against it. It was nice to be away from the crowd for a minute.

There was a tapping noise at the window and I looked over and saw an owl sitting on the sill. I walked over and opened the pane just wide enough to grab the letter from its beak, but not enough that it could fly inside.

I turned the letter over in my hand and saw that it was simply addressed to _‘E’._ Knowing it was from my parents I excitedly ripped it open but was quickly disappointed with its contents.

_‘Glad it went well.’_

Four words. Four fucking words. That was it. Not even a single initial to sign off even though I could tell it was my dad’s handwriting.

My blood started to boil and a single tear escaped and slid down my cheek.

I impulsively ripped the letter into shreds and let the pieces fall to the floor. But that wasn’t good enough so I grabbed my wand, my voice wavering slightly as I said _“Incendio”_ and the pieces burst into flames. In a matter of seconds, all that was left was a small pile of ash.

The tears that were now streaming down my face were dissolving my anger and giving way to the hurt buried beneath.

Now having absolutely no desire to go back to the party I stripped my clothes off, leaving them in a pile on the floor, and pulled on a pair of leggings and a sweatshirt. I carelessly washed my face and tossed my jewelry into the bowl on my nightstand before crawling into bed.

I laid there hugging my pillow tightly to my chest, and did the one thing I hated more than anything else: cried myself to sleep.

—————

I woke up to a stream of sunlight beaming through the window and right into my eyes. I rolled over and looked at the time. Seven-thirty.

I don’t even know what time I came up to the room last night, and I didn’t hear anyone come in later, but as I looked around the room I could see that all the beds were occupied.

As much as I wanted to go back to sleep, I really didn’t want to be here right now. So I put on a pair of socks and sneakers, leaving on the clothes I had worn to bed, and threw my hair up in a messy bun.

A quick glance in the mirror confirmed that my eyes were puffy and a little splotchy from last night. I thought about dabbing on a bit of concealer, but I doubted I would see anyone anytime soon, and if I did I honestly couldn’t give less of a fuck this morning.

On my way out, Pansy’s camera sitting on her bedside table caught my eye. I decided to take it with me so I could develop the pictures we took before the party. It would give me something to do to keep my mind busy for a little while.

I walked down the stairs as quietly as I could manage, shooting up a silent prayer when I saw that the common room was empty. I also noticed that someone had had enough sense to return everything to its original state last night in case Snape had the random urge to visit this morning.

_Ow, fuck._

As I hit the bottom step a sharp pain ran through my foot.

I hobbled over to the couch, sat down, and pulled my shoe off. I lifted it and shook and a small pebble fell out and bounced across the floor.

Just then I heard a door creak open and my head snapped up to meet the noise. It came from the boys’ side and I debated sprinting through the passageway wearing a single shoe and carrying the other.

Before I had time to decide, Draco appeared on the stairs. Though apart from his signature blonde hair, he looked nothing like the Draco I’ve come to know. He was wearing a black cable knit sweater and a pair of dark wash jeans and he was combing his tousled hair with his fingers.

He was mid-yawn when he spotted me, snapping his mouth shut cutting it off. “Oh, erm…hey.” His brow furrowed slightly, I’m assuming at my appearance, but if he had any remarks in his head he chose not to put them into words.

_Smart man._

“Hey,” was all I responded as I dug in my shoe, making sure there wasn’t anything else that was going to assault me.

“Didn’t expect to see anyone for hours after last night…” he paused, watching me, “What are you doing?”

I held up my shoe, “Running away. You?”

He arched an eyebrow and chuckled quietly, “Food.” I put my sneaker on and laced it back up. “Might not be a bad idea for you too if you actually plan on getting anywhere.” He said casually as he walked past.

A moment later, as if in agreement, my stomach rumbled loudly.

“Yeah, yeah…I’m coming.”


	6. Unexpected Developments

“You sure bailed out early last night,” Draco broke the silence.

I had a mouthful of toast, so I just shrugged noncommittally. Which was honestly the best case because what was I supposed to say?

_Yeah…Graham got handsy so I made an excuse to leave, went upstairs, read a letter from my parents—if you could even consider that a letter—and bawled my eyes out like a stupid girl until I fell asleep._

I swallowed my bite, “Anything exciting happen after I left?”

Draco’s eyes widened for just a split second before he replied, “Nothing worth mentioning.”

I eyed him suspiciously as he poked at his food.

“Your plan worked though,” he added, still playing with his eggs. My eyebrows drew together, not immediately understanding what he was talking about. He looked up when I didn’t say anything. “Nott and Parkinson. After you left they were attached at the bloody hip. Then they disappeared for a while, probably off snogging.”

My jaw dropped, “ _No!_ Ugh, and I missed it!”

Draco just shook his head amused and took a bite.

Suddenly an owl flew overhead and dropped an envelope on the table in front of Draco.

I jumped slightly, which Draco saw and spluttered with his mouth full. I pointed my fork at his face, “Not a _damn_ word.”

His laughter ceased as he opened the letter and began reading. His expression tightened and he roughly stuffed the paper back in the envelope when he was done. He stared down at his plate and pushed his food around some more.

I wanted to give him the same courtesy he had given me by not prying about my early exit from the party, but the words fell out of my mouth before I could stop them.

“Everything alright?”

His head snapped up like he had forgotten I was sitting there.

He searched my face for a moment before saying, “Yes. Just a letter from my mother.”

“Must be nice,” I mumbled, now playing with my food too.

Out of my peripherals, I could see he was watching me. When I looked up he had an eyebrow arched in a silent question. Now I felt obligated to elaborate because I had been the nosey one first.

I sighed heavily, “My parents are just…busy, I guess. I sent them two letters this week and finally got one back last night. They didn’t say much.” I finished in almost a whisper, staring down at the table unable to meet his gaze.

He didn’t say anything, but I was sure he had puzzled together why I didn’t return last night. My cheeks were burning with embarrassment. The silence became unbearable and I could feel my walls start to crumble.

“You would just think that they would care a little more after having sent their only child, by herself, to live in another country,” I was screaming inside my head for my mouth to shut up, but it didn’t, “I don’t know why I’m surprised, though. They weren’t exactly involved when I was at home either.” My cheeks were still red but now caused by the anger I had been keeping bottled up, threatening to burst forth.

I snapped out of it at the sound of approaching footsteps and put my mask back up before turning to see that a few of our housemates were filtering in. Draco’s eyes lingered on my face for a moment longer before doing the same.

“Hey! What happened to you last night?” Daphne asked, stifling a yawn.

“Migraine,” I shrugged, “Where’s Tracey?”

“I don’t expect her to join the land of the living for at least a few hours. She was trashed. I made her sleep in her own bed because I didn’t want to get puked on.” She grimaced at the thought and then her face lit up, “Oh! Did Draco tell you what happened?”

“Yes! And it only took a week for them to get together. I even amaze myself sometimes.” I said beaming.

Daphne’s eyes flicked to Draco, “…oh, uh, yeah, Pansy and Theo! Crazy right?” She laughed nervously.

I didn’t have time to analyze that interaction because my attention was caught by the sight of Pansy and Theo walking into the Great Hall, hand-in-hand.

A victorious smile overtook my face and as soon as Pansy saw me she made a throat-cutting motion with her hand, trying to get me to stop, but I was too excited.

She sat down next to me and I spoke quickly while Theo was out of earshot as he walked around the table to sit next to Draco.

“ _Oh my gosh!”_ I squealed quietly, “I need details!”

“Later. You would’ve known last night but you disappeared,” she said in a hushed voice.

“Migraine,” I lied again, but she bought it.

We talked while we ate, mostly about the party. Apparently, towards the end of the night, Pucey was so far gone that at one point he was hitting on a coat rack and had even pulled it out onto the dance floor and was grinding on it.

Everyone had another good laugh when my incoherent babbling was brought up. I just sneered and laughed mockingly back at them and threw a piece of toast at Draco’s face, which he deflected and proceeded to laugh even harder.

By the time we had finished, nobody else had shown up for breakfast. Most of them would likely dry heave just at the thought of food.

“I should go check on Tracey and make sure she isn’t drowning in a puddle of her own vomit,” Daphne rolled her eyes disgusted as she got up and left.

“Do you want to go work on that potions assignment?” Pansy asked Theo.

“Not really, but I suppose we better so Snape doesn’t kick us out of the class if it’s not up to his _“standards”_.” Theo sighed, “You two better do the same.”

“We don’t have to do it,” Draco said smugly.

“What?” The couple said in unison.

“Thanks to _me_ ,” I shot Draco a look, “we successfully brewed the Draught of Living Death so we don’t have to write the essay about it.” I copied Draco’s smug look.

Theo cursed at us and Pansy huffed with her hand on her hip, “Well, I guess _we’ll_ be in the library.” They turned and headed to the door.

“Don’t let Madam Pince catch you snogging in the stacks!” I hollered after them causing Pansy to turn bright red and flip me off.

My laughter died out when I turned back to the table and realized it was just Draco and me again. The embarrassment of my earlier admission was creeping up and I looked towards the door, contemplating my earlier quip about running away.

I could feel Draco’s eyes on me. With all the dishes and food gone I had nothing to pretend to be distracted by, so I just looked around awkwardly at anything but him.

“Come with me.” He stood, staring down at me expectantly as I stayed in my seat confused, but he just nodded his head to follow him.

I walked silently by his side as we traveled up six flights of stairs, but we were now headed down a corridor unknown to me, “Where are we going?”

“I want to show you something.”

“Are you going to show me off the edge of the Astronomy Tower?” I asked as we started up yet another staircase.

“No.”

“So…?” He ignored my question so I just continued to follow him in silence.

Draco stopped abruptly and I looked around. Hanging on the wall was a tapestry depicting trolls doing ballet.

_I’m so fucking confused…_

I cleared my throat, “Well, that sure is… _something.”_

Draco grabbed my shoulders and turned me to face the opposite wall, which was blank.

“No offense, but trolls performing Swan Lake is at least something to look at.” I thumbed over my shoulder.

“Close your eyes.”

“Why?”

“Just do it.” He commanded.

“Geez, and _I’m_ the bossy one…” I mumbled as I complied.

“Now, think of something you need.”

“Well, I could really use-”

“ _Think,_ don’t speak.” He cut me off, “But think of it as if you needed it more than anything in the world.”

A slurry of thoughts ran through my mind. Most of the things I needed more than anything in the world had to do with my parents, but then I remembered the camera in my bag.

_I actually really want to develop these pictures…_

They would probably be terrible because we had been laughing so hard but getting ready all together last night gave me a sense of what it would have been like to have sisters. I thought about it, and even though it had barely been a week I felt closer to those girls than I ever did to any of my friends back home. Having hardly any contact with my actual family also made them feel like the only one I had right now.

The sound of grinding rock pulled me back to the present. When I opened my eyes, what was previously a blank wall was now a set of large double doors. I whipped my head around to see if we had moved, but a troll in a tutu confirmed we hadn’t.

Draco, satisfied with my reaction, opened one of the doors and motioned for me to enter.

Immediately after entering, the door sealed itself behind us, becoming a blank wall again. The large room before me was empty except for a couple of tables in the center that, upon further inspection, held all the ingredients to make Developing Solution and all the other necessary supplies.

I pulled Pansy’s camera out of my bag and turned to Draco bewildered, “How did you know…?”

“I didn’t.”

“Then how…” I gestured to the tables.

“This is the Room of Requirement,” he explained, “It only appears when a person is in great need of it and is equipped with whatever they need.”

“That’s amazing,” I looked around wondering what all this room had transformed into in the past, “Does everyone know about it?”

“Not many. Most people that come across it can’t ever find it again. Everyone else thinks it’s a rumor.”

I had already dropped my bag and was rearranging beakers to start working on the potion.

Draco leaned against the table with his back turned to me while I worked. He didn’t say anything, but the couple of times I looked up he had his head down and arms crossed, deep in thought.

“That was the first I’ve heard from my mother in weeks.” His words stopped me mid-pour. “And my father has been…away, for months.”

I just stared, unsure of what to say.

“What I mean is, I get it.” When I still didn’t say anything he peered over his shoulder. A lump formed in my throat and I just nodded my head and went back to work, but eventually, the silence got too heavy.

“If I tell you something do you promise not to tell anyone…or laugh?” He had a curious look on his face but nodded sincerely.

I drew in a steadying breath before beginning, “So, the Blaylock name is pretty well-known and respected in American wizarding society, but I’ve come to rather despise it. Blaylock literally means black hair, and it’s pretty rare for one to be born without it…like me,” I played with a blonde strand, wondering why I was telling him this, “There’s this old family myth that says, _‘A child born with locks of night shall be blessed with a heart of light, but if born with a gilded head their soul is destined for darkness instead’_.” The words flowed lyrically, having been burned into my mind many years ago.

Draco’s unwavering gaze made me uneasy and I started rambling, “Basically my ancestors believed that any Blaylock born with light-colored hair is fated to go bad because all the black drained into their soul. It’s stupid, really. And one could argue that it comes down to more of a _nature vs. nurture_ issue, caused by a lack of the latter…” trailing off I mentally berated myself for oversharing again.

He remained silent, unmoving.

Almost biting my tongue in half, I continued with my voice and eyes lowered, “…but I’ve always felt like my parents are ashamed of me. _The Aurors raising a dark witch._ They keep their distance like they’re ensuring they don’t get caught in the crossfire when I eventually snap…” I tinkered with the vials, feeling extremely exposed.

Draco contemplated for a moment before stating coldly, “Your parents are Aurors.”

Out of all the things I had just told him I was surprised, but also slightly relieved it was the one thing he chose to comment on.

I tilted my head slightly, watching him now, “Yes, they are. Yours?”

He scoffed, “Not quite. Let’s just say our parents don’t share the same ideals. And wouldn’t be happy if they knew we were associating with each other.”

He stared at the floor with his arms still crossed over his chest and I could see his jaw muscles rippling.

“I guess it’s a good thing we aren’t our parents.”

His brows drew together and he slowly swiveled his head to look at me, searching my face again for something.

“No, we aren’t.” His words were a simple agreement, but his expression led me to believe there was a deeper meaning. He didn’t say anything else and resumed looking at the floor.

I went to pull the film out of the camera and noticed there was one exposure left. Assuming Draco probably wouldn’t pose for a picture, I walked around and leaned on the table next to him. As soon as I saw out of the corner of my eye that he had looked up, I held the camera out at arm’s length, smiled, and took a picture of the two of us.

“Wha- hey!” He protested, but before he could think about snatching the camera out of my hands I had already darted back to my original spot with a smirk on my face. He didn’t pursue, just shook his head and continued brooding.

I had been working for a few minutes when Draco spoke up again.

“How did you know the book was wrong?”

“Hm?”

“The potions textbook,” he clarified, “how did you know to adjust the instructions for the Draught?”

I sighed, “Well, I guess that’s an upside of having absentee parents, lots of free time. I spend most of it reading. My parents have this old book of potions, no telling how many times I’ve read it. After probably my fifth read through, I bought any new potions book I could find. When I could practically recite the recipes I starting gathering ingredients and working my way through the books. My favorite potions I research and tinker with, trying to make them better.”

“Draught of Living Death is one of your favorites?” He quirked his eyebrows.

A mischievous smile tugged at the corners of my mouth, “It can be quite handy. And also fetches a nice price from students who didn’t study for a test.”

“You sold Draught of Living Death to your classmates?” Draco let out a surprised chuckle.

I shrugged, “Among other things.”

He just chuckled again and shook his head in disbelief.

Now I was curious, “What about you? What do you do in your free time?”

Draco looked as if he had never been asked that question before and took a moment before responding, “I read as well. Malfoy Manor has an extensive library. Or practice Quidditch.”

“ _You_ play Quidditch?” I asked slightly amused.

“Yes?” He had obviously taken some offense to my question before adding proudly, “I’ve been the Seeker for Slytherin since second year.”

“I don’t really know what that means. Quidditch isn’t very popular in America.” I stifled a laugh, “I should have assumed you were a “jock”, but I would have guessed you played Polo or some other pretentious sport.” His face was a mixture of appalled and offended, and I couldn’t hold back my laugh.

The photos had soaked long enough, so I started pulling them out of the solution and casting the drying charm on them.

It was quiet once more, but the silence had become more comfortable. I was feeling a bit lighter after being able to confide in someone when I’m constantly having to be vague or lie to everyone. Draco seemed a bit more relaxed so it must have had the same effect on him.

I don’t think either of us would have shared those things normally, but something about this room makes me feel like I can hide my problems away in here and they will never be found.

Draco watched as I started looking through the pictures and eventually came around the table and stood next to me so he could see as well. As I flipped through them, our quiet chuckles transformed into full-on laughs as the scene from last night played out in the short snippets of the moving pictures.

The bitter feelings towards my parents had subsided for now, especially with physical proof in my hands that I was not completely alone at Hogwarts. And while I have grown close to the other girls, our similarities have created a connection between Draco and me.

Draco didn’t swear me to secrecy, but I decided I wasn’t going to tell anyone about knowing how to find and enter the Room of Requirement. A secret refuge could prove to be an invaluable resource.

I flipped another picture to the back and suddenly felt shy. I had taken the last picture so quickly that I hadn’t realized that while I was looking at the camera, Draco was looking at me. His eyes in the picture roamed over my smiling face for a couple of seconds then snapped towards the camera before the image reset.

I had expected him to grab the picture and shred it, but when he didn’t I looked up and was surprised to see his cheeks were the slightest shade of pink.

I leaned in and nudged him with my shoulder. When he finally met my stare I gave him a genuine smile.

“Thank you, Draco.”

“Anytime, Eleanor.”


	7. Blood of the Covenant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day to everyone reading my story! I'd love to know your thoughts so far, so drop a comment!

“McGonagall is fucking insane!” Theo slammed his hands on the Transfiguration textbook that was sitting open in his lap, startling me, “I swear the bitch is doing this so we can’t practice.”

I was curled up in a corner of one of the couches reading through Pansy’s copy of _Advanced Potion Making_ , making corrections, and writing notes in the margins. I realized I had zoned out and was staring blankly at the wall until Theo’s exclamation drew me back in.

My friends were scattered about the couches, floor, and nearby table all working on various assignments. Theo was complaining about one of the five essays McGonagall had assigned in the last two weeks.

I heard a few mumbled agreements as I stared into the fireplace, watching the flames dance. Someone added something about giving Gryffindor an advantage, but my mind had wandered again.

It had been a month since the party and since I had received the first letter from my parents. I wrote them again the next week and received another short reply. _‘Miss you too’_. The next two week’s letters went unanswered, so I stopped sending them.

At first, I was worried that maybe something had happened. Even for them, this was abnormally light correspondence.

I hung back after Transfiguration one day, telling everyone I needed to ask McGonagall a question about an assignment and that I would meet them in the Great Hall for lunch.

_“Professor McGonagall?”_

Turning to face me with her hands clasped in front, _“Yes, Miss Blaylock?”_ She said cooly. Her demeanor towards me hadn’t changed since the first day of class, but this felt too trivial an issue to bother the Headmaster with, and Snape was still out of the question.

 _“I was just wondering if anyone has heard from…or about, my parents recently?”_ Her eyebrows furrowed slightly. _“I haven’t had much contact with them, and now it’s been weeks since the last time they wrote.”_

Her expression softened a bit, _“No, dear, not that I am aware of,”_ my eyes fell to the floor, _“but you shouldn’t worry, we would be informed immediately if anything were to happen.”_ I looked up and she gave me a sympathetic smile.

“El? _Eleanor!_ ” My head snapped around to see Pansy’s brows knitted together.

“Sorry, what?”

“I asked if you had started on the analysis of Crinus Muto yet?” Theo repeated as he leaned forward in his seat at the other end of the couch to see around Pansy.

“Oh, yeah, I already finished it.” This elicited incredulous remarks from the pair.

“How the hell do you write them so fast? I swear I’ve never seen you actually working on a single essay.” Theo questioned.

I shrugged, “I’m good at bullshitting and writing what the professors want to hear. Also, my preferred writing instrument isn’t a fucking _feather_ that you have to stop and dip in an inkpot every three words.”

They all looked at me like I was crazy.

“Um, El, you’re literally using a quill right now.” Daphne pointed to my hand.

“And have you ever seen me dip it in ink?” As she contemplated my question I pulled out my wand and recited the reversal incantation which caused the feather in my hand to turn back into a fountain pen. “Work smarter, not harder, people,” I added, basking in the astonished looks on their faces.

I muttered my _Pen to Plume_ incantation and my pen was disguised once more. I’ve never worried about anyone memorizing the words, because the trick, that I do make sure to keep to myself, is to _not_ get the wand movement perfect. This results in a partial transfiguration, leaving me with the functionality of a pen and the look of a quill.

“You’ve been holding out on us, Blaylock!” Theo played up a look of betrayal.

I twirled the feathered end between my fingers, “I usually have people knocking down my door to buy one before the end of the first week of school, so I just assumed you all had the same weird fondness for the archaic method like the professors.”

A snicker came from the other couch and Draco’s eyes met me over the top of _The Daily Prophet_. “ _Among other things_?” He quirked an eyebrow, recalling our conversation from the Room of Requirement.

I pointed my pen at him and nodded my head once in affirmation.

“Name your price, Blaylock. I’ll pay whatever if it means spending less time on this bullshit.” Theo motioned to his incomplete essay.

“Oh, no, Mr. Nott, I rarely deal in money. Secrets and favors are much more valuable.” I smiled slyly, earning another snort from Draco. “As it happens, I’m short on supply. And assuming these are about to be in high demand…” I looked around at multiple nodding heads.

“I can have a package here tomorrow, easy!” Theo said enthusiastically.

I smiled back, pleased with his response. To remain under the radar, I’m obviously not allowed to order anything from outside sources that could link me to Hogwarts, so I need a supplier.

“Well, since I’m going to have some extra time on my hands soon…” Theo snapped his book shut and pushed himself off the couch, “I’m headed out to the Quidditch pitch to get in a couple of hours of practice before dark. First match is against Gryffindor and I’m going to make sure we obliterate them,” A look of pure anger flashed across his face before he added, “And my girl is going to be there. Got to give the lady a good show.” He winked at Pansy who shooed him away playfully.

“Zabini, Crabbe, Goyle? Any of you coming? We can work on formations.” The goons tossed their books away, taking any excuse to get out of doing homework and Zabini weighed his options for a moment before standing from the table behind us. “Malfoy, I assume you’re _not_ coming. Don’t need much practice to just fly around and look pretty.” Theo joked and Draco just shook his head and continued reading.

“We’ve been down here all day, let’s go watch!” Tracey was tugging Daphne up from her seat on the floor.

“I’m in. If I stare at these numbers any longer I’m going to vomit,” Pansy stood and turned to me, “El?”

“I’m gonna stay here,” the three girls shared a look before I plastered on a fake smile and added, “What? You know Quidditch isn’t my thing. I would have no idea what was going on anyways.” My head dropped back to the Potions book and I pretended to be reading about _Golpalott’s Third Law_.

As soon as they were all through the passageway I abandoned my facade, shut the book, and got up to head to my dorm room.

As I passed by the other couch, Draco reached out and lightly grabbed my wrist, his hand falling away as soon as I stopped. My eyes had darted immediately to the contact then trailed up to his face.

“Still nothing?”

I shook my head and shrugged a shoulder, “You?”

“No, but I don’t expect to for a while.”

Draco and I had been keeping each other updated on our similar situations. Usually just in passing when no one else was around, like now, but other times a simple look would do. Like when Daphne commented one day during the normal mail delivery that she hadn’t seen me get anything in weeks. I quickly covered with some excuse about the time difference saying that I usually found letters on my bed after class. Probably brought up by a house elf when the owls couldn’t deliver them to me. It had made total sense to her, but when I locked eyes with Draco across the table, the faint look of relief on my face told him the truth.

_Maybe I need to lower my expectations…_

I pressed my lips into a thin line and continued towards my room. Draco didn’t say anything else or try to stop me again, but I didn’t hear his paper rustle to indicate he had resumed reading.

Up in our room, I laid Pansy’s book on her nightstand then paced around for a minute. Watching the boys practice would have been something to pass the time, but as soon as I lost interest I would have been in my head again. I would much rather dissociate alone than around others and draw attention.

I walked over to my four-poster and collapsed on top of the duvet. As I stared up at the green canopy, a mixture of worried and angry thoughts fought for dominance inside my head.

_McGonagall said they would know immediately if anything happened…but would they pass that information on to me as soon as they got it?_

_Out of sight, out of mind. I’m sure Mom and Dad couldn’t wait for an ocean to separate us._

_What if they have written and the letters actually had been intercepted? Or they haven’t been getting mine?_

_What they had sent was barely better than nothing. It was like it physically pained them to respond at all, so they just quit._

_I have to hand it to them, they convinced two magical governments to basically put me in witness protection so they wouldn’t have to see their disappointment of a daughter for the better part of 10 months._

_If they were away for work, they could’ve at least done me the courtesy of a quick ‘Won’t be able to write for a while’. But no, I’m not even fucking worth that._

Anger was winning out as I pressed the heels of my palms to my eyes, trying to banish the scenarios my brain was coming up with. It felt like I had been lying there for at least an hour, but when I peeked at the clock it mocked that it had barely been ten minutes.

_Oh, fuck this._

I got up and walked over to my trunk, digging through my potion stash until I found one of the vials of purple liquid. I didn’t really give a shit that it was barely past four in the afternoon, a Dreamless Sleep potion seemed to be the only thing that was going to give me some peace right now. I downed it and quickly tossed the vial back in and shut my trunk. I was already starting to feel its effects as I crossed the room to my bed. My eyes drooped and my head was empty as it hit the pillow.

——-

Sounds tugged at my consciousness. I fought back hard to stay in the depths until a pair of hands were on me, shaking away the effects of the potion.

“-got to go! Get up!” Words became clear as I started to surface.

_Is it morning already?_

My adrenaline spiked as I realized I hadn’t thought to set an alarm and sat bolt upright.

“ _Fuck!_ Did I oversleep? Snape is going to _kill_ me!” I tumbled out of bed before my brain had time to comprehend that there was no light coming through the windows. Confused, I paused and looked at the clock which read _12:17 a.m._ I looked down and realized I had on a pair of sneakers that I hadn’t fallen asleep wearing.

“The fu-?” I was cut off by a green and white striped scarf being wrapped around my neck and a black beanie being tugged down on my head.

I finally registered that Daphne and Pansy were the ones dressing me and obviously the ones who had woken me up.

“Ok, we’ve got to go now. I told them we’d meet at half-past midnight. They should already be there.” Pansy was talking more to Daphne but beckoned me to follow as she grabbed her own scarf and headed towards the door.

I scoffed, “It’s the middle of the damn night, the only place I’m going is back to sleep.” I started to turn back towards my bed when both my wrists were seized and I was promptly pulled towards the common room.

“Have you both lost your fucking minds? What the hell is going on?” I tried to wriggle out of their grasps, but Pansy and Daphne weren’t relenting.

“Oi! You’re going to wake up the whole house!” Tracey whisper-yelled from the common room entrance before peeking out into the corridor. “Coast is clear, let’s go!”

Before they drug me through the passageway, Pansy turned and looked like she was about to scold a child, “Are you going to make me _Silencio_ your ass?”

I held up my hands, their fingers still encircling my wrists, “Well, I’m already bound, might as well gag me, too. Then this would be a right proper kidnapping, don’t you say?”

Pansy rolled her eyes at my sarcasm, “Pack up the drama, Eleanor.”

“That’s rich coming from you, Pans.” Tracey snorted. Pansy flipped her off with her free hand.

“Trust us, you’re going to love it!” Daphne’s eyes twinkled.

Before I had a chance to say anything else, we were out in the dark dungeon corridor, the torches on the wall casting a soft glow every so often.

We hurried up the stairs into the entrance hall and then they were pulling me outside. Our pace picked up once we were out of the castle and they weren’t worried about our footsteps echoing off stone walls.

The thin sliver of moon barely illuminated the ground enough to see a few feet in front of us and I was sure we were going to step off into the lake at any moment.

“Where the fuck are we going?” I hissed.

“Calm down, we’re almost there.” I didn’t need to be able to see to know Pansy had rolled her eyes again.

As we got closer, the Quidditch stadium came into view. We passed under the stands and emerged onto the perfectly manicured field. I could see a few figures up ahead and I squinted trying to discern features.

The dim moonlight was reflecting off of a head of platinum blonde hair that I immediately knew was Draco, so I assumed the other two were Theo and Blaise.

Once we made it over to the boys, I yanked out of Pansy and Daphne’s grasp, scowling at them and rubbing my wrists. I scanned the group, “Anyone care to tell me what the fuck is going on?”

“You didn’t tell her?” Draco eyed the other three girls.

“Do you really think she would have come willingly if we had?” Pansy arched her eyebrow and he shrugged in agreement.

I barked a laugh, “ _Willingly?_ If that was your interpretation of _consent_ , then we all need to have a _serious_ conversation…”

Something was thrown at me and I caught it against my chest. It was a pair of goggles.

I held them up and raised my eyebrows, adding them to the list of things I was waiting to be explained, “The fuck are these fo-…?”

“Here’s the deal,” Theo started, “we can’t have you bringing shame and embarrassment to the house of Salazar Slytherin.”

“ _Excuse me?! You-”_

“ _So…_ we have gathered here to ensure that doesn’t happen.” He cut me off again and shoved something wooden in my hand. I looked down the length of it and realized it was a broomstick. Another addition to the list. “You’re going to learn Quidditch. And we’re going to teach you…or die trying…” He added the last words sheepishly after watching the anger bloom across my face.

“You’ve got to be _fucking_ kidding me. You drug me out of bed. Outside. After midnight. For _THIS?_ ” I turned to direct my wrath towards the girls, but they had already mounted their brooms and were kicking off.

When I turned back, Theo and Blaise had followed their lead, leaving only Draco and me on the ground. He straddled his broom, “You’re already here, might as well,” he pushed off and hovered a couple of feet in the air before adding, “unless you’re _scared,_ ” like that was the magic word to win the game.

I clenched my teeth and spoke lowly so only he could hear, “ _No,_ but what you all failed to consider in your master plan was the possibility that _I’ve never flown a fucking broom!_ ” practically growling the last word. His shocked look confirmed they really hadn’t thought of that.

He hesitated for a second before lowering until just his toes were brushing the grass then nodded behind him, “Hop on.”

There was a mixture of taunts and encouragements raining down from above. I drug my hand down my face as I couldn’t come up with another excuse. I tossed the broom I was still holding to the ground and swung my leg over the back of Draco’s.

“You’re going to want to hold on to me.”

“I’m good, thanks.” I sneered as I gripped the broom handle between my legs.

Draco shrugged, “Have it your way then.”

Suddenly the broom lurched upwards. I gasped and my hands shot out, fisting into Draco’s sweater. I jabbed him in the ribs when he started laughing.

There was cheering and clapping as we joined, making me feel like a child receiving praise for completing the most menial task.

I gave them all a sour look, “When we get caught, I’m throwing you all under the bus.”

Ignoring my comment, Theo proceeded to give me the abridged version of Quidditch.

“Alright, so there are three different types of balls: the quaffle, bludgers, and the golden snitch. The Chasers try to get the quaffle through the hoops to score points, the Keeper guards the hoops. The Beaters hit the bludgers with bats at the other team and the Seeker tries to catch the snitch to end the game. A goal is worth ten points, catching the snitch is worth one hundred fifty. The team with the most points wins. Simple enough?” I nodded petulantly.

I was about to make a smart ass comment about them choosing to do this at night and how I may have found someone that makes worse teaching decisions than Snape when everyone pulled on their own pair of goggles. I lifted mine to look through the lenses and saw everything as if it were the middle of the day.

_Fuck. I guess we’re actually doing this._

We split into two teams: Blaise, Pansy, and Tracey on one and Theo, Daphne, Draco, and me on the other. Tracey and Theo played as Keepers and everyone else was Chasers. They decided not to bring out the bludgers or snitch for my “first lesson”, so we flew up and down the field as they tried to get the Quaffle through the hoops.

Unsurprisingly, Blaise and Draco were ball hogs, unable to bury their competitive nature even now. My grumpiness would fade a bit anytime they did give the others a chance, unable to keep from laughing as I watched the couples square off at the goalposts. Theo would put on a good show before letting Pansy score every time. Tracey on the other hand made Daphne work for it.

Blaise took over as Keeper when Tracey wanted to be a Chaser, but turned out she just wanted to chase Daphne.

Daphne tossed the Quaffle to Draco as she evaded her girlfriend and we were now racing towards the hoops Blaise was guarding when he went to hand the ball to me.

“What do you expect me to do with that?” Both my hands were still tightly gripping his sides and I planned for them to stay there.

Draco looked over his shoulder and slowed the broom to a stop, “Have you not been paying attention? You try to throw it through the hoop. Honestly, Eleanor, I thought you were brighter than that.”

“Oh, shut up! I know you’re supposed to throw it through the hoop!” I huffed, “But I’m perfectly fine just watching.”

“C’mon, the look on Zabini’s face when you score on him will be priceless.”

The thought of letting go caused me to reflexively do the opposite and tighten my grip on his sweater.

His eyes flicked down to my hand for a moment before he turned to fully face me, “I won’t let you fall. I promise.” The playfulness from a few seconds ago had disappeared and the sincerity in his voice made me believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that he wouldn’t.

I wrapped my left arm further around his front to secure myself, releasing my right hand and testing my stability. When I felt confident that I wasn’t going to plummet to the ground, I accepted the Quaffle and saw a ghost of a smile as he turned back to focus on our target.

“Doesn’t matter which hoop, when you see an open shot, take it,” Draco coached and I hummed in acknowledgment.

We accelerated smoothly, unlike our first take-off. As we got closer I could see a wicked grin on Blaise’s face, stoking my own competitive fire.

Draco swooped and zig-zagged in front of and around the hoops trying to create an opening, but Blaise matched his every move. He was barely paying attention to me or the Quaffle, choosing instead to watch Draco, trying to anticipate his maneuvers.

I took advantage of this and threw my arm out towards the goal on the right. The movement caught Blaise’s attention and he swiftly dove to block, but he realized a moment too late that I had faked. He looked up just in time to watch the red ball sail through the middle hoop.

I punched the air and cheers burst out around us. I turned around to see that everyone else had gathered at this end of the field to watch our duel.

The group proceeded to rake Blaise over the coals for getting bested by someone who had never played Quidditch before.

“Damn, Zabini! Maybe Blaylock should take your spot on the team!”

“Is it your time of the month, Blaise? Don’t worry, I get sluggish too!”

“Thank _Merlin_ you aren’t a Keeper!”

Blaise was fuming at the onslaught and I ducked behind Draco to hide my laughs.

“Mate, how many times do I have to embarrass you to prove that you can’t out-fly me?” Draco gloated. The group roared with laughter and the look on Blaise’s face made me cackle. His eyes burned holes in me until his wicked grin spread slowly across his face once more.

“I’ll give credit where credit is due, Malfoy, but I think we can both agree that wasn’t either of our best flying.” He jutted his chin towards me, "Why don’t you enlighten the American on what a Seeker is really capable of?” The look he was giving was sinister, and when I peeked around I could see the same look mirrored on Draco’s face.

Draco looked down at me with an arched brow, “You’re going to want to listen this time when I tell you to hold on.”

I recognized his expression as the same one he wore right before he chased me through the Owlery. My eyes went wide knowing I was completely at his mercy on the back of this broom. I swallowed the lump in my throat as I snaked my other arm around him and latched on.

“You know, we should really head back to the castle. We have potions in a few hours and-” I choked on my words as it felt like we had just been released from a giant slingshot.

 _“Dracooooo!”_ I shrieked once I was able to catch my breath. I squeezed my eyes shut and buried my face between his shoulder blades.

We were cutting through the air faster than I could fathom. I dared to peek one eye open, which was a terrible idea because when I looked down all I saw was water as we sped over the lake. I gasped and snapped my eyes shut again, tightening my grip around Draco’s middle, surely making it hard for him to breathe.

There was a rumbling beneath my hands and I realized he was laughing.

“Not funny, asshole!” I yelled to make sure he would hear it but noticed I could hear myself clearly because the wind wasn’t whipping past my ears anymore. I chanced another look and saw that we were gliding above the edge of the forest.

I relaxed my hold a little as I took it all in. Seeing and hearing it from a distance as I had from the docks my first night was nothing compared to this. From above, the dense canopy gave the appearance of peace and serenity. However, the sound of hundreds of flapping wings and high pitched squeaks from black clouds of bats diving through the trees and the bone-chilling howls of wolves signaling the pack to a kill shattered the illusion.

I shivered at the thought that I’ve been traipsing through those trees twice a week and hadn’t considered that it might be home to all sorts of deadly creatures.

_They’ve got to have wards around the area we have class…right??_

“I had to serve a detention in there one night during my first year.” He said it as if it were no big deal.

“You- what- _first year??_ What did you _do??”_ I spluttered and again wondered what the fuck kind of school my parents sent me to.

“Got caught out after curfew.”

“ _WHAT! We’re_ out after curfew, Draco! There is no way in hell I’m going to spend a night out there if-”

I could feel the rumble in my own chest that was pressed to his back as he laughed at my panic.

“ _Relax_ , we aren’t going to get caught.”

“Listen, I know you _act_ like you run this place, but-“

“The Hufflepuff Prefect on duty tonight has had the hots for Blaise for years, so it didn’t take much for him to convince her to look the other way, and Crabbe and Goyle are stationed as decoys for Filch or any professor that might try to wander out of the castle.” His tone was arrogant as if he had beaten me to an answer in Snape’s class.

Still unsure, I held on to my _‘I’m innocent, they were hazing me’_ card, just in case.

We continued coasting along the perimeter of the grounds as I took in the scenery from this new perspective. I realized I was resting my chin on his shoulder and wasn’t sure when that had happened. He apparently didn’t mind because he hadn’t said anything, and I didn’t want to make it awkward by jerking away, so I stayed put.

As we neared the end of the forest and started curving back towards the Quidditch field, I could see what looked like a little town not too far off on the right.

“What’s that over there?” I pointed towards the buildings with one finger, still not willing to unlatch my hands.

“Hogsmeade. Some shops and a couple of pubs. We’re allowed to visit some weekends.” Draco held his gaze on the village and seemed to be thinking about something but didn’t add anything else.

As we neared the stadium, he looked back at me with a mischievous grin, “Shall we give them a show?”

And for the second time since I had met him, I was seeing Draco Malfoy as the sixteen-year-old boy that he tried so hard to keep buried beneath his high society persona. Sweater and sweatpants, hair unruly from the wind and a little bit of sweat, eyes bright, and just having _fun_. Something fluttered in my chest and it was physically impossible for me to say _‘no’_.

A nervous excitement ran through me as I cemented my hold and ducked back behind his shoulders. He chuckled again and readjusted his grip before leaning forward so his chest was parallel with the broom. Before I could blink, we were slicing through the air and I was squealing, but I managed to keep my eyes open this time.

We were back to the field almost instantaneously and there was laughing and cheering coming from the ground.

“Ready?” Draco threw over his shoulder as we lapped the field at a lightning pace. Adrenaline drowned out my self-preservation and I was nodding my head against his back.

We shot straight up into the sky and climbed until we were surrounded by clouds. Then Draco did an about-face and we were nose-diving back to Earth. He leveled out and proceeded to do all sorts of barrel rolls and loops and at one point it felt like we were flying upside down, but I couldn’t be sure because my eyes were glued shut again.

The cheering was getting louder and it felt like we were slowing down. I opened my eyes just as Draco smoothly touched down, but before I could comprehend that I hadn’t died, I was tackled off the back of the broom with a blur of black hair in my face followed by two more impacts and a storm of giggles.

The girls were yelling an unintelligible mixture of praise that I could barely hear past the sound of blood rushing in my ears. It felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest as I was being smothered by a pile of my friends, laughing so hard I had tears streaming down my face.

Our laughter started to fizzle out and I watched as the boys shook their heads at us, walking off to pack up the equipment.

My heart rate evened out as I laid on my back in the grass tangled up with the best friends I’ve ever had. I stared up at the black, star-spotted sky, apparently having lost my goggles in the ambush.

“I needed that,” I admitted with a content sigh.

“We know.” I rolled my head to the side to see Pansy directing her signature arched-eyebrow look at me and when my face scrunched up in confusion it triggered her signature eye-roll, “You can’t possibly believe this was actually about Quidditch?”

“You’ve been miserable lately.” Tracey jumped in.

“We were starting to think you hated it here. Like we’d wake up one morning and your trunk would be gone and you’d be half-way around the world.” Daphne’s voice wavered at the end and I felt my chest tighten.

“Which we would have then proceeded to cross the Atlantic and swiftly drug your annoyingly perfect ass back to Hogwarts. And as we proved tonight, kidnapping you isn’t all that difficult.” Pansy teased.

“You’re part of our family now, El. You’re stuck with us!” The normal brightness was back in Daphne’s voice.

“Whether you like it or not!” Tracey added, “Also, just so you know, I have no issue with kicking your perfect ass if you leave and break my girlfriend's heart!” She nudged me hard and I laughed.

“And we would kick anyone’s ass for you. Slytherins _always_ take care of family.” Pansy’s words were like a shield.

There was a pressure behind my eyes and my nose stung as I willed the tears not to fall.

“Thanks for this, guys.” I managed without my voice cracking.

Pansy sighed dramatically, “As much as we would love to, we can’t take credit.” I gave her another confused look. “This was all Malfoy’s idea,” she finished, almost whispering.

I looked to Daphne and Tracey who both nodded in agreement.

I leaned up on my elbows and saw him standing with his broom slung over his shoulder talking to Blaise and Theo. As if he had sensed me staring, his eyes darted to mine like a magnet and I watched as the corner of his mouth turned up.

The fluttering in my chest migrated to my stomach and despite the chill in the air, I felt a warmth wash over my entire body as one word replayed in my head.

_Family._

And for the first time in my life, I knew what it was supposed to feel like.


	8. That Idiom About Books and Their Covers

_Fucking bitch!_

_Who the fuck does she think she is?_

_She better be fucking glad Professor Vector stopped me before I hexed her skin to turn neon green so everyone would know she’s just a jealous fucking cunt._

_Fucking accuse me…_

“Eleanor, your robes are smoldering.”

“What?” I snapped out of my internal monologue and was met with Draco’s guarded expression. I looked around and realized I was in the Slytherin common room. There was a faint smell of smoke and people were laughing. When I followed the sound I found Pansy and Blaise.

I narrowed my eyes at them before stomping over to a couch and sitting down with a huff. I crossed my arms tightly, trying to smother the feeling of electricity currently running through them.

“What happened?” Draco looked back and forth between me pouting on the couch and Pansy and Blaise still cracking up, waiting for an explanation from anyone.

“Blaylock got herself detention,” Blaise said rather proudly as he walked around the couch and clapped both hands on my shoulders. I jerked away and growled under my breath.

Draco pressed his lips together, trying to keep the chuckle in his throat as he sauntered over with his hands in his pockets and stood in front of me. Pansy floated over and sat on the arm of the couch next to me looking extremely pleased.

I threw my hands up in exasperation as my anger bubbled over again, “ _Ughhh!_ It’s not my fucking problem that the bitch is slow and gets her fucking feelings hurt when I get the answers first! I’ve ignored her little scoffs and eye-rolls for weeks, but today she had the _audacity_ to accuse me of _cheating!_ ”

“Who did?” Draco asked, failing to hold back his amusement.

“Some frizzy-haired Gryffindor hag!” I could have sworn steam was coming out of my ears just thinking about it.

Draco looked to the other two for confirmation, which Pansy happily supplied.

_“Yes! Granger!”_ She gushed and prodded my arm, “Tell him! Tell him what you said to her!”

“I honestly don’t even remember-”

“Well then allow me! I will never forget it until the day I die. It was brilliant!” Blaise cut in then cleared his throat, “ _Sweetheart, I truly am sorry about your diminished capacity, but maybe you should pursue other forms of predictive magic that aren’t as mentally taxing as Arithmancy? Divination might be more your speed.”_

Draco gave an astonished laugh, “And what did Granger have to say to that?”

“Not a _fucking_ _word!_ I think Eleanor is the first person in history to render that bint speechless!” Pansy acted like I had created the cure for Dragon Pox.

“You haven’t had to endure that Mudblood for the past six years so you don’t realize how much poetic justice there was in what you said. But, _ohhh_ , I could get off just replaying that scene in my head…I might try tonight.”

“ _Ew, Zabini.”_ I shrunk even further away from him and threw a disgusted look over my shoulder.

“I can’t wait to tell Theo!” Pansy looked towards the boys' dorm.

“He already left for the oaf’s class,” Draco rolled his eyes then looked down at me, “Isn’t that where you’re supposed to be?”

“Fuck that. She’s in that class too. I probably would’ve ended up setting her on fire and I can’t exactly blame that on a Doxy.” _I hope the bitch gets bitten._ “Ugh! If I knew I was going to get detention for simply giving her a polite suggestion, then I should have gone ahead and hexed her! At least I would have actually earned the detention.” I grumbled.

“At least it’s Snape’s evening for detention. He goes easy on us.” Pansy snickered, “In fact, he might give you house points once he finds out why you’re there in the first place.”

“ _Nooo…”_ I threw my head back on the couch and closed my eyes, “I think I’d rather take my chances out in the forest.” Draco chuckled at that.

I stared at the ceiling for a minute before abruptly standing up and heading towards the passageway.

“If you’re going to finish her off, I’m coming to watch!” Blaise said excitedly.

“I’m going to the library,” I said, determined.

_Madam Pince, may I have permission to enter the Restricted Section to research a solution for a rather nasty toad problem I’ve recently developed?_

_—————_

The smell of parchment, leather, and ink had an instant calming effect as soon as I walked into the library.

On my way across the castle, I had reasoned with myself that wasting my time in detention wasn’t worth the satisfaction of retaliation, even though my fingers lingered on the spine of _101 Common Poisons_ for a few moments as I perused the Potions section.

Instead, I resolved to outrank the bitch in every class. Maybe her head would explode without me having to lift my wand.

I spent about two hours tucked away in the Transfiguration section, making sure I knew everything I needed for at least the next month’s worth of McGonagall’s syllabus.

When I came in, the shelves that housed all the Defense Against the Dark Arts books were pretty busy, so I waited to visit that section when it cleared out closer to dinnertime.

I didn’t have time to sit and read through any of the books, so I browsed the shelves and grabbed a few to check out before I had to head to detention.

I had a small stack levitating next to me as I leaned against the shelf, scanning the table of contents of a book on curses and counter-curses. There were a couple of books used as references that I wanted to grab, so I quickly rounded the shelf with my head still down, and- _Smack!_ The book in my hands went flying and the floating stack crashed to the ground.

“ _Shit!_ Sorry, I-”

“Terribly sorry! I-“

“-wasn’t paying attention.” Me and the person I just collided with said in unison.

I straightened my shirt and with a flick of my wand, the previously floating books were once again neatly stacked and hovering beside me.

The boy I had run into straightened up and held out the book I had been reading but not before eyeing the cover and then glancing up at my tie. I copied the move to see that his was red and gold.

I recognized him from a few of my classes. Black hair that stuck out everywhere and round glasses. Being face-to-face with him for the first time I could now see that he had bright green eyes.

I gave a quick _“Thanks”_ as I took the book from him and went to set it on the top of my stack.

“Oh, um, I think this one is yours.” There was an old, worn-out copy of _Advanced Potion Making_ perched on top of my stack that he eagerly accepted when I handed it to him.

I gave him a quick nod and sidestepped around to head to the front desk to check out.

“You’re Eleanor, right? From Ilvermorny?”

_I swear to Merlin if you ask me some stupid-ass question about iced tea…_

“Yes. Eleanor Blaylock.”

“I’m Harry. We have some classes together.” He said cautiously.

“Nice to meet you.” _Ok, gotta go now…_ I turned to leave again.

“I’m friends with Hermione.”

I sighed, “Who?”

“Hermione Granger?”

“Ah, _Granger_.” _Frizzy bitch._

I looked around to see if I was about to be jumped by a pack of lions, “Well, unless you’re going to tell me your _friend_ would like to apologize, I have a detention to get to.”

“She does feel bad that you got in trouble. Truly. We heard all about it during Hagrid’s class,” He laughed a little, almost nervously.

I scoffed, “I highly doubt that. She sure didn’t feel bad about discrediting the character of someone she’s never spoken a word to.”

He looked as if I had just spoken in a foreign language and he was now trying to call forth his very limited knowledge of said language.

“Well, she…we just…the reputation of Slytherins-”

“Your justification is based on what house I was assigned to live in?”

“W- well, everyone knows th- that…”

“What? That all Slytherins are just…terrible people?”

“Umm, well…It’s never really…been proven otherwise.”

I took a deep breath and huffed it out. “Did you ever stop to think that they act that way to defend against the preconceived bias from the rest of this school? Or do you truly believe that every eleven-year-old sorted into Slytherin is just inherently _bad_?”

He stammered, unable to form a response. Then his eyes widened when they locked on my stack of books about curses, hexes, and other varieties of dark magic. He looked back to me warily.

My lip curled mischievously and I nodded to the stack, “Nothing in those books is half as bad as what I’m actually going to do to your friend.”

His chest swelled and he looked like he was about to pull his wand or call for reinforcements, maybe both. Before he could threaten or hex me, I continued, “I’m going to take her spot at the top of the class. _But_ ,” I patted the books, “I’m going to earn it. The revenge will be so much sweeter when she has to accept that she was truly outperformed.”

He let out a relieved, breathy chuckle. “Well, good luck with that. You don’t know Hermione, she-“

“And _you_ don’t know _me_ , Mr.-…?” I scrunched my eyebrows.

“Potter.”

“Harry Potter? Ohh, I know who you are.” Theo’s voice ran through my head, “ _Saint Potter”._ "Bit of a local celebrity, right?” His cheeks flushed a little and he looked down at his shoes. “My parents have talked about you before. Your name apparently floats through the MACUSA Auror office from time to time.”

His head snapped up, “Your parents are Aurors?”

_Why the fuck is that such a surprise to everyone?_

“They are. Why? Does that not fit into your Slytherin stereotype?” I tilted my head to the side and feigned confusion.

He ran his hand through his hair and scratched his head. I turned on my heel to leave before he could come up with something to say.

“Have a good evening, Potter.” I threw over my shoulder and quickly made my way towards the front desk.

_I’m so going to be late. I wonder if “Harry Potter stopped me in the Library” will be a good enough excuse for Snape._

_—————_

It wasn’t.

“Miss Blaylock, if you find yourself so drawn to the Gryffindor students, then perhaps we should put in a request with the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall to have you transferred into their house.”

_Fuck off, dude. Merlin, I fucking hate you…_

“Then the top potions student would no longer be in Slytherin. Can’t imagine you’d want that,” I said snottily.

“I didn’t say anything about transferring Mr. Malfoy.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh _please,_ he’s good, but we all know I can brew circles around his cauldron.”

“Well then, if you’re so confident in your abilities…” he paused for a moment and looked me up and down, “there has been a recent increase in demand for Draught of Peace in the hospital wing. It seems many students find themselves incapable of dealing with the demands of preparing for their O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s due to recent events and the current…climate.”

I gave him a fake smile and rolled up my sleeves as I headed to the supply shelves. I felt the need to flex my knowledge, seeing as it had been questioned more than once today.

“Do you have any Crested Porcupine quills? Or am I still going to have to use these stubby Brazilian ones?” I shook the jar at Snape who just glared back. With a very Pansy-like sigh, “I’ll make do.”

I held up a jar of opalescent stones to the light and watched it refract off the facets, “What phase was this Moonstone mined under?”

He eyed me before answering, “Waning Crescent.”

I gave him a disgusted look, “Seriously? I’m going to have to use almost twice as much.” I mumbled and turned back to the shelves to grab the Syrup of Hellebore.

“I’m assuming you don’t just leave the unicorn horns lying around…” I tapped a finger on my lips as I scanned the shelves double-checking. The sound of a door opening behind me drew my attention to the small closet Snape was emerging from, a single white horn in his hand.

I strode to the table that already had a cauldron prepared—unfortunately near his desk—and set my supplies up. He set the horn on the table without a word and went back to his desk to resume the grading he was working on when I arrived.

Simply brewing the Draught of Peace had the same effects on me as drinking it, washing away all the agitation from today. The mostly empty room was silent, aside from the bubbling of my cauldron and the frequent, heavy-handed scratches of Snape’s quill, no doubt just absolutely destroying some first year’s essay on the twelve uses of dragon’s blood.

I could have gotten lost in brewing and completely forgotten he was there if I wasn’t sensing his eyes on me every couple of minutes. Then something he had said earlier sparked a thought and I know he doesn’t like talking to me so…

“Professor?”

His quill stopped mid-sentence and he looked up at me, which I took as my cue to continue.

“Earlier you said this draught was needed “due to recent events”?”

“Yes.” He drawled.

“Something happened last year that involved Harry Potter and some of the Slytherins.”

Bored, “Is that a question?”

Exasperated, “ _What_ happened last year?”

He paused before setting his quill in the inkwell and standing from his desk. Walking silently to my table to stand opposite me, he peered into my cauldron and watched the simmering turquoise liquid slowly turning purple.

“No Slytherin students were involved. However…a few of their family members were. It resulted in their arrests and they were sent to Azkaban prison…indefinitely.”

Draco’s admission from the Room of Requirement came rushing forth in my mind, _“My father has been…away, for months.”_

I swallowed thickly, “Was…Draco’s father…among them?”

He narrowed his eyes, deciding what to say until he settled on, “Yes. His aunt and uncle as well. Although, his aunt evaded arrest.” He watched my face for a reaction, which I didn’t give him.

As I ground the unicorn horn up with a mortar and pestle, I thought back to the first day in the Great Hall and who else had reacted to Pansy’s slip, “Theo and Crabbe had family members involved as well?”

“Their fathers.”

He watched me carefully as I nodded at my cauldron and added the powdered unicorn horn and started stirring.

Once the potion turned red and needed to simmer again, I asked, “Is it safe to assume that none of the other houses had students whose family members were involved?”

“That would be an accurate assumption, Miss Blaylock.”

_Damn, maybe there is some validity to the stereotype. But that doesn’t mean that the bias doesn’t perpetuate it. What does that say about me, though…_

Adding more powdered moonstone, my eyes stayed locked on the potion, “Professor, what exactly were you told…about me…before I came to Hogwarts.”

He didn’t respond after a few moments, so I looked up and his eyes shifted back and forth between mine. He took in a breath and my body braced involuntarily.

“You have an aunt who believes you carry a blood curse that she also possesses, and your parents believe she would seek you out to exploit the effects of this supposed curse.”

“What effects?” I asked quickly. This was never discussed by my family.

“Your parents’ main concern lies with the lengths your aunt might go to get to you.” He said, ignoring my question.

“And shipping me off to Scotland was the best solution they could come up with,” I mumbled, adding the last bit of porcupine quills and stirring.

The liquid turned white and I lowered the heat so it could simmer for the remainder of the process.

I crossed my arms and turned around to lean against the table. I didn’t want to see his face when I asked him for his opinion.

“What might someone with an outside perspective think of my situation?”

There was a long silence, but then in his disinterested, monotone voice, “Considering only the facts, one could soundly conclude that the concerns are valid and the decision was warranted.”

_And to think I was so close to tolerating you._

Letting my head drop back, I sighed at the ceiling, willing the answers to all my problems to appear etched into the stone.

I sulked for a few seconds longer before turning back to the cauldron and carefully adding exactly seven drops of Hellebore syrup, causing a silvery vapor to rise into the air, signaling a successful brew.

Snape didn’t comment as I quickly ladled the potion into single-dose vials and replaced them into the rack.

I charmed the cauldron and my workspace clean before he could tell me I had to scrub it by hand as part of my punishment.

Hoping I was done for the evening, I grabbed my bag and slung it on my shoulder. When he didn’t offer any objections to me leaving, I headed for the door. The light sound of glass clinking on stone stopped me and when I turned I saw one vial of my freshly brewed Draught of Peace sitting on the edge of the table. I looked up and Snape was walking towards the small closet with the rack of vials in his hands.

I stared him down for a moment before pocketing the vial and leaving.

_Fine. I tolerate you._

_—————_

Back in the common room, I thanked Merlin that none of my friends were around. I needed to process what Snape had told me before I could talk to any of them, especially Draco.

I darted up the stairs, determined not to run into anyone, and slipped into our room. Millicent was reading on her bed, not even bothering to look up when I came in, Daphne and Tracey were also in bed, but looked to be asleep, and Pansy was obviously in the bathroom where I could hear the shower running.

I seized this bit of good luck and quickly changed into my pajamas, nestling the vial in with the others in my trunk, saving it for a rainy day, and hiding under my covers before Pansy could come out and start questioning me about my detention with Snape.

But as I laid there, I started to wish I had taken something because one thought repeatedly ran through my head, keeping me from sleep.

_Draco’s father is in prison, and he’s been letting me whine to him for weeks that mine won’t write to me._


	9. Friends in Low Places

The next morning when everyone asked how detention went, I didn’t lie, I just omitted the conversation where Snape told me that many of our housemates’ fathers were in prison.

I decided not to tell the girls at all, not even Pansy. I was afraid it would get back to Draco, and he obviously didn’t want me to know or he would have told me himself.

It became increasingly difficult to act normally in the following weeks. I felt no different towards my friends; I didn’t judge them for their family’s actions. But every time ‘parents’ were mentioned I had to consciously not shudder or stare at Draco or Theo, watching for even the slightest flinch.

When I thought it couldn’t get worse, Pansy mentioned one day that Theo’s mom died when he was young. There was a huge weight in my chest anytime I thought about the fact that he didn’t have anyone at home waiting for him. It helped to think that I had a hand in bringing him and Pansy together so at least he had someone.

As I had expected, it was even more challenging interacting with Draco. He had shared things with me that some of his lifelong friends didn’t even know, and I felt like I was betraying his trust by knowing something he had specifically chosen not to tell me.

The guilt weighed heaviest. I didn’t hold my friends accountable for whatever their relatives had done to land them in prison, but I couldn’t say the same for every other student at Hogwarts. While the majority of the population held a general disdain for anyone wearing green and silver, I was now acutely aware of the additional glares and overall higher level of disgust towards most of my friends. The most ironic part was that while the “good” houses openly found the Slytherin students guilty by association, the same wasn’t true for the “bad” house, at least not towards me. Obviously, my parents hadn’t been the Aurors to arrest theirs, but in a different situation and country, they easily could have been.

I had completely avoided the topic of my parents since detention. Draco continued to ask in private, but I would just brush it off and quickly change the subject. I didn’t want to ask about his and be responsible for bringing up any feelings he associated with them, but I also didn’t want to _not_ ask and seem like I didn’t care anymore. I settled on waiting until he brought up the topic and usually just stuck to safe questions.

I desperately needed something to distract myself before the eggshells I was walking around on started to crack. Inspiration struck when we walked into the Great Hall after Charms to find it filled with floating Jack-o’-lanterns.

“Halloween is this Thursday!” I said excitedly as we took our seats at the Slytherin table.

“Really? You sure?” Blaise mocked, looking up at the ceiling.

“Bite me, Zabini.” I sneered.

“Oh, darling, don’t threaten me with a good time,” he purred and flashed a smile.

“ _Anyway,_ ” I glared at him before turning to the girls, “What are we dressing up as?”

“What are you talking about?” Pansy was truly confused.

“For Halloween? Obviously, you all don’t celebrate like we do, but there’s going to at least be a party, isn’t there?” I looked around the table expectantly but was only met with more confusion. “You’re seriously going to tell me you don’t have a Halloween party?” Everyone shook their heads and my jaw dropped in shock, “ _Then what do you do?_ ”

“We have the Halloween feast.” Theo shrugged and I was in utter disbelief.

“What did you do at your old school for Halloween?” Pansy asked.

“Everything! For the entire month! Haunted houses, and corn mazes, and horror films, and pumpkin patches, and hayrides, and of course costume parties! And on Halloween night we would sneak out and pop over to Salem! There’s nothing else like it!” I had been so preoccupied lately that I hadn’t realized how much I missed all the traditions.

“Sounds like a bunch of muggle rubbish,” Blaise commented.

“It’s _fun,_ ” I defended while giving him another death glare, which he just laughed at. “I refuse to let Halloween pass without attending a single costume party! Looks like I will just have to throw one myself! We’ll do it Wednesday night so everyone can still go to your boring dinner. You all figure out what you are going to go as. If you don’t have something picked by this time tomorrow then I’m deciding for you. And, Theo, don’t you dare call me bossy.” I aimed my glare at him.

“I would never!” He laughed and the rest of the group joined in.

The sound of owls flying overhead interrupted their laughs and I grimaced.

_Why, out of all times of the day, do they let those disgusting things in here while we are eating?_

A few letters fell around me and I pretended not to notice that none of them were for me, but I couldn’t help but stare at the one that was dropped in front of Draco. He hadn’t received anything since the day he showed me the Room of Requirement.

He opened it slowly, but soon I could see a small wave of relief wash over him as his face softened and his shoulders dropped slightly. _It has to be from his mom._ As he continued, however, his face started turning red and he was clenching his jaw.

With a grunt, he quickly stood from the table, startling everyone, snatched up his things, and headed for the door.

“Somebody should go check on him…” Pansy suggested.

When I tore my gaze away from the door, I found that every set of eyes was on me.

I was barely able to get out “ _Me?_ ” before she was shoving my bag into my lap and motioning me to leave.

I didn’t protest further because I knew I was already going to have a hard time catching up to him, and he hadn’t turned towards the dungeons so I had no idea where he was going.

I scurried into the entrance hall and headed in the direction I had seen him go. Thankfully lunch hadn’t started yet, so most everyone was in class and the corridors were empty. I followed the sound of quickened, heavy footsteps up flights stairs and around corners until they stopped.

I continued towards where I thought the sound had disappeared and found myself at the doorway of a boy’s restroom. I listened closely for any sign of someone inside and I could hear someone breathing heavily.

“Draco?”

The breathing cut off.

I had taken a few steps inside the doorway when I was halted by his voice.

“Eleanor, this is the boy’s lavatory. You need to leave.”

“I just wanted to make sure everything was ok?”

“Peachy. Now please go.”

I pursed my lips, trying to decide whether to head back to the Great Hall, but my feet decided for me as I walked further into the restroom.

The entryway opened into a large semi-circular space with sets of three sinks and mirrors in front of large windows. I looked to the right and Draco was leaning over the middle sink of a set and had his hands braced on the other two. My shoe scuffed against the stone as I took another step and his head snapped up at the sound. We locked eyes in the mirror for a split second before he dropped his head again.

“This is the boy’s lavatory. You can’t be in here.” He spoke through gritted teeth.

I took one step to the right so now if anyone were to look in from the main corridor, they wouldn’t see either of us.

I ducked down and scanned under the stalls to make sure we were alone.

“Is everything ok with your mom?” I asked cautiously.

His shoulders drew up and the skin across his knuckles was taught and whiter than his already fair skin from how hard he was gripping the edge of the sink.

I continued in a calm voice, “I don’t know if something has happened, but I’m your friend, Draco. You can talk to me about anything.”

He didn’t move or say anything for a moment. Then his grip on the porcelain relaxed and he slowly raised his head and stood tall. When he turned to face me, his icy stare froze me to the floor.

“No, you _don’t_ know,” His words were venomous but eerily calm as he slowly advanced on me. “You don’t know anything about my _family,_ or _me_ for that matter.” _Well, that’s not entirely true…_ “If I had wanted to talk to someone, I’d have gone to Zabini or Nott. I don’t want your pity. And I don’t want to be your _friend_.” The last word rolled off his tongue like acid as he stared down at me, now almost toe-to-toe.

I just stood there, vibrating with the rage that had manifested from my mixture of hurt and embarrassment. My fists were balled at my side and my fingernails were digging into my palms as I used all my willpower not to shove his chest as hard as I could or slap him across the face.

There was no way in hell he was going to get the last word, but I almost bit my tongue in half to keep from saying something about his father just to hurt him back. I could feel the ache in my cheekbones and I was not about to let him see me cry and misinterpret my anger as weakness, so I settled with…

“Go fuck yourself, _Malfoy_.” I spat his last name as if it tasted like vinegar. I stared him down for a moment longer and watched something flash across his face, but I was already storming out of the restroom before I could figure out what it was.

The sound of glass shattering came from behind me, but I ignored it as I made my way back across the castle in record time, fueled by my rage and determination that no one was going to see me in this state.

I slammed my door shut when I made it back to my room, first making sure no one was around, then let out a frustrated yell.

I allowed myself a couple of minutes to steam before I pulled it back together.

 _Fuck him. If he wants to act like that, then he can go right ahead. But I_ will not _give him the satisfaction of knowing he hurt me._

With that, I cleared my head of Draco Malfoy and focused on the party I had to plan.

—————

I stayed in my room through lunch making a to-do list of what all I had to get done in the next two days for my party. With some delegation and asking a few favors, it should be no big deal.

I had a few minutes to spare before I needed to leave for Arithmancy, so I grabbed my bag and headed down to the common room where I hoped to mark an item off my list.

I prepared myself for whoever might be around, and rightfully so because stationed at the base of the stairs was the blonde-headed ass himself.

I was going to breeze right past and act like he wasn’t even there, but as soon as he saw me he turned, almost completely blocking my exit.

“Eleanor, I-”

“Blaise and Theo are over there,” I cut him off, pointing to the rest of our group in our usual spots on the couches. “We’re not friends, remember?” I added as I slid past him.

I ignored the confused looks as I passed the couches and continued towards my targets.

“Hello, boys,” I said sweetly.

“Eleanor! To what do we owe this pleasure?” Warrington flashed an award-winning smile.

“Well, it has come to my attention that Hogwarts is severely lacking in Halloween festivities, so I am hosting a costume party Wednesday night, and I wanted to personally invite you three gentlemen.” I laid it on thick. They were immediately eating out of the palm of my hand and eagerly accepted my invitation.

“Fantastic. Now, there is something I am needing help with and I was wondering if my favorite seventh years might lend a hand?” I smiled and fluttered my lashes.

“Absolutely!”

“Anything!”

“Whatever you need!”

“The drinks at the welcome back party were just perfect, so I was hoping the three of you would handle the libations for the evening?”

“You have come to the right place, darling.” I know the term of endearment is commonplace over here, but coming from Pucey it made me want to gag.

Warrington and Graham agreed with Pucey.

“I knew I could count on you guys!” I clapped my hands together and gave another overly-sweet smile before adding, “Don’t forget to wear a costume!”

_Refreshments, check._

I went to grab Pansy and Blaise to head to class when I caught Draco watching me as I turned away from the seventh-year boys’ table. My eyes passed over him as if he weren’t even there.

“Ready to go?” I asked them both, still ignoring their befuddled faces.

“In a minute, I need to have a little _chat_ with Malfoy first,” Pansy was staring murderously in what I assumed was Draco’s direction.

“In that case, I’ll just see you there.” I started for the passageway before I could get caught up in anything she was planning.

“Oh no you don’t, Blaylock!” Blaise jumped up off the couch. A momentary fear of being forced to listen to an apology was dismissed as soon as he grabbed his book bag and slung an arm over my shoulder, “I’m not risking today being the day you decide to let Granger have it and not be there to witness.”

The small relief and his ongoing desire to see me hex the Gryffindor made me giggle, so I let him keep his arm around me. That and Graham had been staring at me since the moment I walked up to their table, so hopefully, it would serve as a deterrent.

We turned to leave and almost immediately I heard the Pansy Parkinson signature stomp across the room followed by a heavy _thud_ as if someone had just been smacked with a book.

“ _What the fuck, Parkinson?!”_ Draco’s whine and Pansy’s ensuing barrage were silenced as soon as we stepped into the dungeon corridor.

I snickered to myself. _God, I love her._

Blaise’s arm dropped away, “He’s a prat, you know.”

“Who?” I looked around as if I didn’t obviously know who he was referring to.

He snorted and gave me a pointed look.

I sighed, “If he chooses to be an ass for no reason, that’s his prerogative. I choose not to care.” I didn’t want to talk about him so I steered the conversation in a different direction, “So, any ideas on what you’re wearing to the party?”

He rolled his eyes at my change of topic but indulged me, “I have a disgustingly expensive red suit I haven’t had an occasion to wear it for, so I was thinking of incorporating it somehow.”

“Hmmm,” I looked him up and down, “with a quick _Oculi Muto_ to turn your eyes red as well you would be quite the handsome Devil.” I wiggled my eyebrows playfully.

“I would, wouldn’t I?” I laughed at his shameless vanity. “What about yourself? You very well can’t show up to your own party with sub-par attire.”

“I was going to see what ideas the girls came up with, maybe do some kind of theme, but I assume they’ll do couple’s costumes. I don’t plan on having a date,” _the only person I would have considered is currently at the top of my shit list,_ “so I’ll just figure out a good solo costume.”

“Or…how about we make a deal?” He raised one eyebrow.

I gave a small, exaggerated gasp, “A deal with the Devil you say?”

He smirked, “Precisely. Seeing as we are the two most desirable people in Slytherin, I propose we coordinate costumes and serve as each other’s arm candy for the evening. I have no interest in going stag and being pestered by vultures all night. And for you, a certain seventh-year git would be resigned to ogling only.”

“You noticed too, huh?” I let out an annoyed huff. “However, I think you’re overestimating my place in the hierarchy _._ ”

“Oh come off it, Blaylock. You’re fucking hot and you know it. Anyone with eyes knows it. Plus, you’re the shiny new toy everyone wants to play with.”

I rolled my eyes. “We’ll circle back to the blatant objectification later, but apparently you haven’t noticed I don’t exactly have a line of gentlemen callers waiting.”

“Because everyone assumes you’re with Malfoy. He all but marked you as his territory like a hound the first week back at the party.”

My face scrunched up, “Please explain how anyone could interpret anything from that night as Draco “marking his territory”?”

“The last anyone saw of you, you were dancing with Montague. By the end of the night, Malfoy had him pinned up against the wall with a wand to his throat.”

“He _what?! Why?”_ My mouth hung open in disbelief.

“Ask him yourself. But we’re not discussing the blonde dolt right now.” He waved his hand, clearing the air, "What do you say to my proposition?”

Still reeling from this new information, I shook my head a little to refocus. After thinking it over for a moment and not coming up with any downsides I smirked and, much to his satisfaction, said, “Looks like I’m selling my soul.”

_Would my prophesied soul be worth more or less to the Devil?_

The thought was swept away as quickly as it had formed when Blaise offered me his arm and flashed his blinding smile that always seemed to be concealing a secret.

I accepted his gesture which made his smile widen a bit more, “I believe this could be the beginning of a beautifully advantageous alliance.”

“Blaise, dear, if you wanted to be friends, all you had to do was say so.” I arched an eyebrow at him and he just responded with his sly smile and a wink as we strolled, arm-in-arm through the castle.

—————

Tuesday was spent party planning and avoiding Draco. The latter proving to be damn near impossible because he seemed to have taken up residence in the common room. My rational brain reminded me that’s how we all spend most of our Tuesdays and Thursdays since we don’t have classes, but my petty brain cursed him for not fucking off to literally anywhere else in this goddamned castle.

Pansy, Daphne, Tracey, and I discussed decorations, which ended up being minimal since the Slytherin common room naturally gives off spooky vibes.

Blaise volunteered to handle the music, stating _“If I have to listen to The Weird Sisters on repeat for hours again I’m going to Avada myself.”_ I gave him a few playlist suggestions to which he complimented my _“impeccable taste in music”_ with a smirk.

Our new “alliance” bloomed so quickly and organically that I wondered how it had taken us this long to become friends.

_Probably because I thought he was a narcissistic, arrogant prick from the moment I met him._

Which he is, but when he isn’t being a prick he is quite charming. And undoubtedly handsome. He isn’t outgoing like Theo, but always has something witty to say in any conversation.

Honestly, if it hadn’t been for he-who-I-currently-refuse-to-acknowledge monopolizing my attention from day one— _and “marking his territory” which I will definitely be bringing up when-IF I talk to him again_ —something could have easily developed between Blaise and me because we have undeniable chemistry.

This made our playful flirting all day that much better. While I refused to acknowledge his presence, even a blind man could see that Draco was not having it. Every compliment offered or giggle earned caused him to tense up and fail miserably at pretending to read his paper or work on his essays.

_He needs to make up his fucking mind! He can’t say he doesn’t want to be my friend and then turn around and act jealous when someone new does. Jackass!_

The whole situation was just a mind fuck. After meeting in Diagon Alley and the flirting and laughing and chasing me across the grounds the first week, I really thought it was only a matter of time until we’d be double dating with Pansy and Theo. Instead, we settled into this friendship and became confidants, which I took quite a bit of pride in. Then it was like a switch flipped and he was cold and closed off, telling me he didn’t want to be friends at all.

Trying to figure out where to fit in the part about him threatening someone supposedly for just dancing with me started to give me a headache, so I pushed all thoughts of him out of my head again.

“I still can’t believe you and Zabini are going together,” Tracey said as we were all winding down in our room that evening.

“As friends,” I clarified once again. “It’s mutually beneficial.”

“ _Ohh_ friends with _benefits_?” Tracey goaded.

“Not like that!” I threw a pillow at her and she swatted it away laughing.

“Mutually beneficial as in Blaise gets to be the envy of every guy in attendance and Eleanor gets to make Draco jealous as fuck. Serves the git right.” Pansy explained for me. Even though making Draco jealous wasn’t the initial intended purpose, it was turning out to be a surprisingly enjoyable side effect so I didn’t correct her.

Pansy flicked her wand to extinguish all the candles in the room as she was the last one to get in bed.

I stared into the darkness, going over my checklist again.

_Cassius, Adrian, and Graham are taking care of drinks._

_Blaise is in charge of the music._

_Daphne is finalizing decorations tomorrow since she doesn’t have any classes._

_Pansy and Theo have their costumes, Tracey and Daphne have theirs, Blaise has his. I’ll put the finishing touches on mine before the party. Draco…can not show up for all I care…_

“Turn your brain off and go to sleep, Eleanor. The sound of the gears grinding in your head is going to keep me up.” Pansy said sleepily from the bed next to me.

I chuckled, “Yes, mother.”

“Goodnight, mommy!” Tracey yelled across the room.

“Go to hell, the both of you,” Pansy mumbled into her pillow and we ended the day in a fit of giggles.

—————

“Eleanor, love, we have much to discuss before this evening’s festivities.” Blaise patted the desktop of the empty seat next to him.

He had seen me stutter in the doorway of the Transfiguration classroom as my eyes landed on the back of the blonde head I normally sat by.

I mouthed a grateful _‘thank you’_ to Blaise as I sat down and he shot me a wink.

Draco, still failing to hide his jealousy, sat in front of us with tense shoulders and his head turned just enough so he could better hear our conversation. I would bet money that he didn’t hear a word McGonagall said all period.

“I will be up to collect and escort you down at nine.”

I lowered my brow, “The party starts at eight-thirty, Blaise. I can’t be late to the party I’m hosting.”

“You most certainly will be,” He said as if it were entirely obvious. “What is the point of a grand entrance if no one is there to see it?” He slowly trailed his eyes over to Draco then back to me.

I was about to argue that I couldn’t care less if the source of my current annoyance even showed up to the party when Blaise leveled his gaze on me.

“Fine,” I said with a defeated huff. Then I leaned in to whisper so a certain eavesdropper couldn’t hear, “Are all Slytherin boys this infuriating, or just the ones I am unlucky enough to befriend?” I raised an eyebrow.

With a rumbling chuckle, he didn’t even attempt to conceal his words that dripped like honey, “Oh, darling, I think you’ll soon realize how truly _lucky_ you are.”

_Snap!_

Our attention jerked to the sound to see Draco’s fist balled on his desk and his quill in two pieces.

I clapped my hand over my mouth and silently died laughing.

“You said that on purpose!” I quietly managed between breaths.

His devilish smirk was all the confirmation I needed.

—————

My delayed arrival gave me the chance to help the girls perfect their looks before I had to finish getting ready.

Pansy was the epitome of royalty in her ballgown and dripping in jewels. She had decided her and Theo’s costumes so quickly that I wondered if she had this outfit sitting in the back of her closet for years, just waiting for the opportunity to bust it out. I’m honestly surprised she didn’t wear the crown daily. Her “king” would be here soon and I was a tad annoyed that I wasn’t going to get to see them walk in together.

I was currently pouring even _more_ fake blood all over Tracey after conjuring quite the convincing _Glamour_ to make it look like her neck had been slashed open. When she and Daphne had argued about costume ideas—Daph wanted to be cute and sexy and Tracey wanted to be bloody and gruesome—I proposed that they go as a sexy healer and a patient, which they loved.

Tracey was bouncing with excitement as she admired my work in the mirror, “ _Why_ have we never done this before?!”

“You’re welcome!” I sang, fluffing Pansy’s petticoat.

I answered the knock at our door to find Theo looking exceptionally regal in a fur-trimmed red velvet cape, carrying a golden scepter, and perched atop his head was such a garish crown that he had to have used the feather-lite charm to keep it from breaking his neck.

“His Majesty, the King!” I announced to the room and opened the door wide to reveal Pansy.

“You are breathtaking, my Queen.” The look in Theo’s eyes could have melted the polar ice caps.

“I suddenly feel like we are interrupting something…so we are just going to go!” Daphne grabbed Tracey and made a hasty exit past his highness.

“ _Ohhkayy…_ before you two start going at it like rabbits right here in front of me…” I ushered Pansy to the door, which was the right move because the look on her face made me believe they actually might.

As soon as the door was shut I glanced at the clock to see I had about twenty minutes until Blaise showed up.

I dressed myself to resemble the image in my head as closely as possible to reduce the amount of transfiguration work I would have to do.

Concentrating clearly on my desired look, a few passes with my wand, and the picture in my head was now reflected in the mirror.

The dress was strapless with a lace adorned corset bodice that hugged my curves in all the right places. The skirt had an overlay of tulle and lace strips, and while it was dangerously short, the majority of my legs were concealed by thigh-high boots.

A simple _Engorgio_ and _Wingardium Leviosa_ turned a thin gold bracelet into a perfect halo to literally top off my costume.

I raised my wand above my head and with a final swirl, every part of my ensemble was painted black.

_Perfect._

Blaise knocked at exactly nine o'clock and I concealed myself behind the door when I opened it to let him in.

“You’ve got yourself a full house down there, Blaylock. Hope you’re rea-” He had been adjusting his shirt cuff when he walked in but stopped dead when he looked up at me. “Salazar have mercy on my soul. As I live and breathe, Persephone stands before me. Merlin, you could send the most honorable man to Azkaban looking like that.”

“And look at you! I love being right, you _do_ make a very handsome devil. That suit is amazing and you matched your eyes perfectly.” Blaise beamed at the compliment.

“Shall we?” He offered his arm and motioned to the door but I held up a finger.

“Almost. I have a surprise. Your talk of grand entrances earlier got me thinking…”

—————

As we turned the corner and stood at the top of the stairs, a wave rippled across the room as every head turned in our direction. Blaise had obviously timed the song currently playing with our entrance for an added dramatic flair.

Once every set of eyes was on us, we looked at each other and nodded. With a broad wave of our wands, a collective gasp rolled through the room as our costumes were completed. An ornate black mask appeared on Blaise, resting on his cheekbones and encircling his blood-red eyes, with a set of horns that extended up and curved back over the top of his head. At the same time, a set of large, black wings unfurled behind me before slowly settling.

We descended the stairs to a mixture of whistles and cheers.

“Bravo, Blaylock,” Blaise, looking extremely satisfied, leaned in and whispered in my ear. I just smiled smugly, staring out over the crowd, absolutely _not_ looking for the reaction of anyone in particular.

We were stopped by almost every person as we made our way across the room, paying us compliments on the party, our outfits, the music, or whatever else they could think of.

“I want to hate you so much right now!” I turned to see the royal couple walking up. “Well go on then,” Pansy twirled her finger, signaling me to spin so she could get a full look at my outfit. “Nevermind, I do hate you. Gods, how dare you look that sexy!”

“You can’t hate me, Pans, you love me too much,” I winked and blew my best friend a kiss, “Besides, if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have had the excuse to look this absolutely _stunning_ tonight.”

“And for that, I am forever indebted to you, Blaylock,” Theo’s eyes were still blazing as he looked at Pansy.

“Let’s go before I see something that I’ll have to have you _Obliviate_ me for,” Blaise quickly directed us towards the drinks.

Over the course of a couple of drinks, I was sure we had been approached by everyone at least once. Not that I was actively looking, but I never spotted Draco so I concluded that his ego couldn’t handle it and he didn’t come.

_Whatever, I didn’t want him here anyway. He’ll just get to listen to everyone talking about how good I looked for the next week._

“Well, I think we’ve let them have their fun,” Blaise tossed back the rest of his drink and his empty glass vanished from his hand, “Let’s go show them how it’s done, shall we?” He flashed a smile and extended his hand, which I accepted without hesitation and let him lead me to the dance floor.

And _Merlin_ , could Blaise Zabini fucking dance. All eyes were on us as we moved in sync like we had been dance partners for years and holy hell was it _hot._

The best part was that we could dance on each other as provocatively as we wanted and there would be no expectations of either of us after the party. We would leave here just as we arrived: as friends.

I also had to give him credit for how perfectly he arranged the playlist. Just the right mix of upbeat songs couples and the whole room could dance to with slower songs scattered through to allow everyone to socialize or get a refill. We were currently taking a breather during a slowdown and Blaise had me laughing with every exaggerated dip and spin.

“So, here’s the deal, Blaylock. I’ve become quite fond of you over the last couple of days. Therefore, I’ve decided that we shall be friends.”

“Mr. Zabini! I’m honored!” A hand to my chest I feigned shock.

He smirked and stuck his nose up a little, “You’re right to be, I tolerate very few people, and truly like even fewer.” His eyes scanned the room before finding mine again. “That being said, I must inform you that I don’t do anything half-assed, so I will be de-throning Parkinson on your friend list shortly.”

I tossed my head back and laughed as we continued dancing across the room, “Well I wish you all the best, you’re going to have quite the fight on your hands.”

“You will soon find out that I would fight to the death for the few people who are worthy of my friendship. You should also know that now that you are one of those people, there’s no going back. You can’t get rid of me.”

Before I could dramatically protest that _“I would never dream of such a thing!”_ ,he spun me out at arm's length and coiled me in, my back to his chest with my arms wrapped around myself, both hands in his. “Just remember that after what I’m about to do,” he spoke right into my ear. I turned my head so he could see my confused face and he added, “Also, it would be best not to make a scene.”

I didn’t have time to ask what the hell he was talking about before he was spinning me again, but right before our arms went taught and I was supposed to rubber band back into his arms, he let go of my hand.

I was falling and scrambling to catch myself when my palms landed flat on a muscular wall of black fabric and a pair of strong hands captured my waist. A woody fragrance filled my nose and I looked up to find an all too familiar pair of stone-colored eyes wide with shock.

I snapped my head around to find my newest friend-turned-traitor and narrowed my eyes at him when I did. Blaise raised his eyebrows and leveled his gaze on me as if silently reminding me of his warning not to cause a scene. I cursed him under my breath before turning back to Draco with a huff, who was staring over my shoulder, presumedly at Blaise.

He drew his attention back to me and his hands quickly dropped to his sides when he realized they were still resting on my waist.

I looked him up and down and was reminded of the day we met. He was in all black again, but this time he was wearing a turtleneck under his well-tailored suit jacket. His hair was also different, slicked back instead of how he normally wore it parted to the side and neatly combed.

“I guess you missed the memo that this is a _costume_ party. I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” I crossed my arms and arched an eyebrow at him.

He took in a deep breath and let it out in a defeated sigh. Instead of turning around and walking away as I expected, he slowly curled up one side of his upper lip to reveal a very realistic fang.

He ran his tongue over it like he was making sure it was still there which made my heart jump. I had to roll my eyes to stop myself from staring at his mouth.

Suddenly someone ran into me from behind and I was shoved back into Draco’s chest, his hands reflexively finding my waist again to steady me.

I turned, ready to hex whoever was there, only to find two more traitors.

“Whoops! Clumsy me!” Theo shrugged like he hadn’t done it entirely on purpose.

“Dance floors are for _dancing…_ ” Pansy said in a sing-song voice, clearly feeling the alcohol.

I glared at the couple as they quickly made their way across the floor away from us.

Draco watched me warily as I let out my own defeated sigh and slid my hands up to rest on his shoulders. His whole body relaxed a little and we started to awkwardly sway to the music.

“You have every right to be mad at me.” He finally spoke.

 _“I don’t need your permission”_ is what I wanted to say, but I held my tongue and instead just hummed in agreement, looking anywhere but at him.

“For what it’s worth, I didn’t mean it. The part about not wanting to be friends.”

 _“Then why did you say it?"_ Holding the words back again I stayed silent, waiting for an explanation.

“It’s just-… there are things you don’t know and-… if you did you’d-… _you_ shouldn’t want to be friends with _me_.” Frustrated, the words tumbled out of him.

I finally looked at him. His lips were pressed into a hard line and he was shaking his head at the floor with his eyes closed.

“I know more than you think,” I said, barely audible.

He stilled and his eyes met mine in an instant, wide and uncertain. His lips parted but no sound came out as if all the air had been sucked from his lungs.

“But I’m still here. I still want to be your friend. Even if you can be a huge _ass_.”

He let out a small, choked laugh but still had a look of disbelief on his face.

The tempo of the music suddenly increased as the song changed, simultaneously putting a pin in that conversation.

We walked off the dance floor and found our friends all together, staring at us and obviously amused about something.

“Nott, what did I tell you about leaving your hair gel where Malfoy could find it? Now, look what you’ve done! Four years of sobriety down the drain like that.” Blaise snapped his fingers and shook his head disappointedly until he couldn’t hold back his broad grin any longer causing peals of laughter to break out from the rest of the group.

Blaise slung his arm over my shoulders, “I think it’s high time we pull out the old family photo albums, eh Malfoy?”

“You. Wouldn’t. Dare.” The horrified look on Draco’s face betrayed his attempt to sound threatening, and even though I was clearly out of the loop, I couldn’t help but join in laughing.

—————

“Pansy,” I tried calmly, “Theo is _not_ going to break up with you.”

“Yes, he _is!_ I just know it!” She sobbed.

Daphne and I had been trying to get a very drunk Pansy out of her ballgown when out of nowhere she broke down crying, adamant that her relationship was circling the drain.

Which was absolutely ridiculous. It was clear as day to everyone—except Pansy obviously—that Theo was madly in love with her. But she wouldn’t listen to reason so I told Daphne to hold down the fort while I went to get reinforcements.

I rapped loudly on the sixth-year boys’ door until it opened.

“-fuck’s sake! Wha- Well, hello there.” Blaise’s fury quickly melted away when he realized it was me. He gave a lazy smile and leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms and ankles. “Heaven called, darling, seems they’re missing an angel.”

I rolled my eyes at the cheesy line. “Nice try, but it’s a bit warmer where I’m from.” I tossed back.

“Is that Eleanor?” Draco’s voice came from within the room followed by footsteps.

“She’s not here for you, Malfoy.” Blaise tried shutting the door to block me from view and attempted to fend Draco off with his other hand but he was suddenly yanked backward and disappeared from the doorway.

Draco’s tall, lean figure replaced the space Blaise had previously occupied. He was in pajama pants and a plain, black t-shirt. I noticed the short sleeves were tight around his biceps as he ran his hand through his freshly showered hair before I remembered my purpose for being there.

“Actually, I’m here for Theo.”

Draco looked confused and a little disappointed before leaning his head back in the room and calling Theo’s name. Another set of footsteps padded across the floor.

“What’s going on?” Theo yawned.

“Your girlfriend is currently inconsolable. Please go reassure her that you aren’t going to break up with her.” I almost begged.

“What? Why would she think that?” He was suddenly wide awake and pushing past Draco.

“I don’t know. Because she’s drunk? Please just-” I pointed towards our door and off he went.

With a sigh of relief, I leaned back against the wall and slid down to sit on the floor in the hallway.

Draco looked down at me and furrowed his eyebrows.

“I’m not going back in there until she’s asleep,” I answered.

He chuckled and stepped out of their room, pulling the door shut behind him. Taking a seat beside me, his long legs stretched out so far his feet almost touched the opposite wall.

“Just ask,” I said, breaking the minute-long silence.

There was another long pause and then he let out a shaky breath, “What do you know?”

I kept all emotion out of my voice and just stated the facts, “Something happened earlier this year, I don’t know exactly what, but your dad went to prison. So did Theo and Crabbe’s.”

I saw his jaw muscles ripple out of the corner of my eye, and his hands that had been resting on his thighs clenched into tight fists. Without thinking I reached out and laid my hand over his and he immediately relaxed under my touch.

“I’m still here, Draco.” I squeezed his hand to give him physical confirmation of my words.

Pansy wasn’t the only person currently in need of reassurance, so I would remind him.

“Do you remember what I told you that day in the Room of Requirement?” I stared at his profile, silently willing him to look me in the eye. He finally gave in and my heart clenched as I saw the stone start to crumble.

“We aren’t our parents,” I whispered.

His eyes fell shut and he took a breath before nodding once. His thumb brushed over my knuckles and he gave a light squeeze back, but then neither of us pulled away.

I allowed us to sit in silence like that for a few minutes to give those seeds time to settle and begin to take root in his mind.

“Pull some stupid shit like that again and I’ll kick your ass.” I rolled my head to the side to see the corner of his mouth curled up and his shoulders lightly bouncing from his quiet laugh as he stared down at our hands.

“Also, now that we’re speaking again…what is this I hear about you threatening Graham for dancing with me at the welcome back party?”

He stilled immediately and his cheeks started to turn pink.

“I danced with Blaise all night, did you have him at wandpoint before I showed up? Honestly, Draco, I don’t—”

“It wasn’t because he danced with you.” He cut off my rant and, obviously not willing to break our contact, raised his free hand to cover his face before sliding it down and around to rub the back of his neck.

“Don’t get me wrong, I can’t stand the tosser so I quite enjoyed seeing you abandon him in the middle of everyone…but when you never came back- I thought he’d upset you. I was going to go check on you but- then I thought it might’ve been me you were upset with…because of the babbling beverage.” He glanced at me before quickly looking away again. “I was angry- and later when he accidentally brushed into me I just- snapped.”

_Not “marking his territory”, just being protective. Noted._

He laid his head back against the wall with his eyes closed, his cheeks still flushed with embarrassment.

I studied his face, feeling privileged that he lets me see this side of him. I copied his posture, leaning my head back and letting my eyelids flutter shut. I decided not to say anything to his explanation, instead just giving his hand another squeeze to reaffirm I was still there, which he immediately reciprocated and let out a quiet sigh.

As we sat together in a comfortable silence I found a sweet satisfaction in knowing that Blaise had been wrong about something. He assumed it was Pansy he would have to usurp, and while I love her like the sister I’ve never had, that crown never belonged to her.


End file.
